Choices
by starshards
Summary: Takao offers love, while Kai offers passion. Stuck in the middle is Rei, who can find both in neither. Stability or desire? It's the hardest choice of his life, especially when he falls for Kai who has no interest in love. [KaRecentric!] KaixRei, TakaRei.
1. Question

Summary: Takao offers love, while Kai offers passion. Stuck in the middle is Rei, who can find both in neither. Stability or desire? And with Rei fast falling for one of them, his choice is about to get more difficult. Taka+Rei, KaixRei

Notes: Okay, so I'll probably loose a karejillion fans, but yes, this _has_ got TakaRei-ness. Of course, this _is_ **me **we're on about, so yes, of COURSE there's going to be KaRe too. Because it's damn well perfect in my eyes. However, I wanted to try my hand at TakaRei, because, though I denied it for a while, I actually… like it xD; **This will be KaixRei centric**.

**Please** give it a chance.

Great thank you goes to "**Mourir**" for talking about this idea with me and on how great Takao x Rei x Kai love- trianglage would be (among many other things. Mostly Rei's arse and other such fun things… love you, babe XD!) and for helping me out so much.

Dedlication this time goes to "**Yazzy**", for being so kind to me when I needed it and for just being so… great. Also now, as the chapters roll on, for unwittingly becoming my beta xD; lovelovelove. Muchas gracias, dear, xx.

* * *

Rei's first reaction was the freeze. He didn't know what else to do, and while it was extremely rude of him, he couldn't help but stare. 

"Rei?" Takao sounded almost frightened, which was a first for both of them, at any other time Rei would have rushed over to fold him into a reassuring hug, but now… "Rei… I'm sorry, but I had to tell you. Please don't hate me." Takao pleaded.

Rei shook himself from his stupor, finally noticing the tears gathering in his younger team-mate's eyes. He sighed heavily. "Takao, I could never hate you. You know that."

"Bu-but, you haven't said anything." The other responded quietly.

Rei blinked and swallowed harshly. "It's…it's not that I don't..." Rei sighed again and looked away. "Takao, no one's ever told me that they love me before. I'm sorry that I'm not reacting how you wanted me to, but I just don't know what I'm supposed to do. I care about you so much, I just… I just don't… know." He trailed off pathetically.

Takao nodded sadly. "Is it because I'm a guy?"

Rei raised his gaze from the floor to take up the other boys stare. His heart wrenched when Takao looked away. "I… I don't think it is, Takao." His companion's eyes flickered back up to his face, glimmering with faint hope. "In fact, I'm pretty sure that it's not. It's just that… I've never had anyone interested in me before and I don't know how I should act. I'm completely new to all of this and I just don't know what to do. Please don't think that it's you or that it would be different with anyone else in the world. I just don't know what to do."

Takao grinned at that. "For all of your travels around the world, you really are just a simple village boy at heart, aren't you, Rei?"

"Hey! I resent that." Rei argued, smiling despite himself.

Takao's grin faded to a pleasant smile. "As to the 'no one's ever been interested in me' thing, Rei, there's a very long queue behind me waiting to tell you how perfect you are. You're absolutely gorgeous and you're kind, brave and smart. You have the most wonderful personality ever and you're almost as good at blading as I am. I'm just the first person to have the guts to tell you, but then, I _am_ me."

Rei couldn't help but laugh at that, blushing from Takao's appraisal. "Yes, big headed." Takao stuck his tongue out childishly. Rei smiled again. "You don't have to be so nice to me though. I'm really not special in any way."

Takao shook his head and rolled his eyes. "I thought you were supposed to have good vision," He stepped forwards, closing the distance between Rei and himself just a little bit. "But Rei, you're not looking in the mirror and seeing what everyone else sees. I want to do something about that." He said seriously.

Rei suddenly felt a little nervous, unused to seeing Takao act so seriously, or think about what he was saying. He suddenly seemed more grown up, and that threw Rei off quite badly. "In what way?"

Takao stepped forwards again. "By telling you every day, if I can." A cheeky smile suddenly found its way to his lips. "Or, failing that, I'll get you a better mirror."

The heavy atmosphere broke, and Rei found himself smiling once more. "All right then, if you insist." His smile turned sympathetic. "Could you… maybe give this 'simple village boy' a little time to think on this?"

Takao's smile faltered a touch and suddenly he looked a little unsure. The moment passed and he sighed, smiling again, kindness radiating from his deep brown eyes. "Sure, take all the time you need." He made his way towards Rei and pulled him into a quick and slightly awkward hug, before releasing him with a bright smile and making his way out of the room.

* * *

'_I love you.'_

Rei had been honest when he had said that no one had uttered those words to him before.

Chinese families weren't especially known for overt displays of affection, especially not within the tribal situation of his home. It didn't help that he didn't exactly _have_ a family to start with. Sure… _plenty_ of people had told them that they _liked_ him, but love…

'_I love you.'_

He shook his head. What _was_ love? From everything that he'd heard it was some magical, cherished, beautiful thing. People craved it… people _died_ for it.

And yet… he had no idea what it was. How should he feel? Was it possible that he loved Takao in return? Could he?

Rei sighed, resting his head back against his pillows, staring at the ceiling with amber eyes dulled with worry. His mind whirred, trying to put together any moments from memory that would have given away Takao's feelings, but yet none came to mind. Takao was friendly to everyone. He always had a smile ready, even for enemies. Sure, he _doted_ on Rei, but he doted on Max! He doted on Kyoujyu and Kai… okay, maybe not _Kai_, but every one of his friends, Takao openly adored.

How was he any different?

He was just… him. He honestly saw nothing special, other than an average looking boy with feline like features. He was poor and uneducated. The only thing that set him apart was that he was a good blader, and even then he wasn't the _best_. He sighed to himself, rolling onto his side and pressing his face into the cool, unused part of his pillow.

'_I love you._'

He squeezed his eyes shut, groaning softly. _What should he _do? Takao had told him something that took all his courage. He _couldn't_ throw that back in his face, but… but Takao was his friend. Takao was like a younger brother. Someone he wanted to protect and guide. Could he _be_ with him? Wouldn't Takao expect… things of him? Actions… emotions…

Emotions he was fairly sure he didn't have. As for sexual attraction, it just wasn't… there. Despite being male, sex was really something that Rei didn't think of.

Unbidden, a strong, pale and handsome face, graced with piercing blood-like eyes leapt into this mind, staring at him accusingly.

That was a lie. Rei _did_ think of sex. Mostly at night, when he was alone in the darkness of his room with only his thoughts and the soft, soft sounds of deep breathing coming from the bed adjacent to his. Unwittingly, his eyes slid to the other figure, yellow irises following the steady rise and fall of the solid chest.

It was a familiar, but secret emotion. Lust. It was such a basic, primeval thing and he knew from what many said that it did not equate to love, but without that lust, could love- the kind shared by lovers, like in the books and the movies, the kind dreamed of by millions around the world- exist?

And if he knew one thing, he knew that he did not lust after Takao.

He sighed, a dejected sound and rolled onto his other side, turning his back to his roommate as if that would help him clear his mind.

After Takao's… admission of feelings…the day had gone on as normal. They had cleaned up the dojo, Kai had taken Rei off to practice some teamwork moves and then Rei had come back, cooked dinner with Hiromi, eaten, watched television and then gone to bed. Rei had known all along that as soon as he stopped, he'd have nothing other to do but think on Takao's words. After half an hour of staring at the wall, he had gotten up to take a warm shower, hoping that it could soothe him or give him more clarity. It had helped… barely, but at least it gave him another task in the morning to take his mind off his predicament. Kai had come into their room sometime during his shower, his relaxed expression and soft breath telling Rei that he didn't have to worry about Kai picking up on his troubled thoughts.

And so, he had climbed into bed and had been immediately set upon by nagging fears and persistent questions. Nothing had changed in the three hours he had been lying there. The moment of understanding never came, and still he tossed and turned, waiting for sleep or even better, for an answer.

Still none came.

Sighing, he shifted onto his other side and cast tired eyes upon the luminous red digits of his bedside clock. "3:12" The whisper escaped him, shaping into a quiet groan as Rei twisted onto his stomach and buried his face in the pillows. Lying still, he waited desperately for sleep. Rei hoped it would come soon, or else he would be exhausted by the next evening. He also hoped that when he woke up, he'd somehow miraculously have the answer to all of his worries in the morning.

And finally he hoped, that just for once, he wouldn't dream of Kai Hiwatari.

* * *

The first thing he was aware of was warmth upon his arm. That was followed by the realisation that he was being swayed back and forth. 

He moaned in protest and shifted away, snuggling deeper into warm comfort. Distantly he heard a sigh before he felt himself self being shaken once more.

"Rei. _Rei!_" A quiet voice drifted into his sleep-addled mind, making him groan softly in defence. "Rei, wake up! Damn it, Rei, I need you up."

Hesitantly, Rei slid open a dull yellow eye, hesitantly blinking up at the source of annoyance. His eyes widened as much as they could in his tired state, as he finally realised that his team captain was looming over him. "Kai…? What? Why are you-" he broke off as a yawn pulled itself from his body almost forcefully. He flushed delicately in brief embarrassment, before continuing. "What's the matter? Why are you waking me?"

Kai frowned, displeased with the relentless questioning, but let it pass knowing how sleepy the younger one was. "I woke you up because it's quarter past ten, Rei."

"Quarter past ten?" Rei burst, sitting up suddenly in shock. What was _this_? He hadn't slept past half eight in seven years!

"Yes, Rei, that's why I woke you. Everyone's worried that you're ill and Takao's moping about like it's the end of the world just because he didn't get a lie in like you did." Kai muttered, folding his arms across his chest.

"And you let me sleep in?" Rei asked, confused as to why Kai had hesitated in rousing him at the normal time of nine am.

Kai paused for a moment to regard the dazed lad before him, before he sighed. "Because I know that you barely slept last night. I could hear you tossing and turning until the early hours of the morning."

Rei felt a blush arise, feeling guilty. "You were awake?" He asked quietly.

Kai shrugged, turning to walk away. "I'm a light sleeper, you know that." He answered dismissively. He paused at the door, turning to look back at Rei. " Hurry up with your hair, we're training down by the shore today." He turned away and opened the door, but hesitated once again. "Look Rei. Whatever's on your mind, sort it out. I don't need you having issues next tournament, got it?"

Rei looked down at the bed covers, nodding even though he knew that Kai had left the room without a backwards glance. Harsh as the words were and despite the fact that Kai's lack of regard for him as a human rather than a tool of '_The Team_' stinging like it usually did, Rei had to agree. He needed to sort this out. By the sounds of things, Takao had taken Rei's staying in bed to be some kind of avoidance, and possibly rejection.

Was he going to reject Takao?

Rei reached out for his brush, frowning as he began to run it through his long, pitch-dark tresses. He didn't want to break Takao's heart. He _cared_ about him and if it were anyone other than _him_ doing the heartbreaking, he would have personally gone to have a serious chat with the 'other party.'

His strokes increased in force as he felt familiar frustration build up in him. Someone loved him. _Takao_ loved him. Takao wanted him to be near him, and wanted to spend his sacred, meaningful moments with him. He wanted Rei for who he was. Wanted to hold him when Rei needed it, make him smile when he was down, make him happy and complete. Takao wanted to do that for him and Rei was so, so tired of being alone.

The brush slowed. He was frightened of being alone. The realisation left him feeling cold and almost… empty. All his life he had been trying to prove that he was worth something, so that somebody could just make him feel needed. _Truly_ needed. Takao was the one who needed him. He had seen it in his chocolate coloured eyes, honest and sincere need, calling out for him desperately. He could be with Takao; he could fulfil that desire and be someone sacred for the first time in his life. There remained only one question:

Did he love Takao?

He felt guilt pull at him. No, he did not love Takao, not in the way he wanted him to at least.

_Could_ he love him?

It was hard not to. Takao was a fun, warm hearted and affectionate boy, and aesthetically, he wasn't exactly displeasing to look at... but no matter how much Rei tried, he couldn't think of him in _that_ way. To him, lust and Takao were foreign to one another and without the lust, there would be no passion and without that… there was no love.

Drawing his hands away from hair he had bound unconsciously, he pushed himself up from his bed, following his usual routine of getting dressed, washing his face and brushing his teeth, clinging to the familiarity of those actions to calm his worries. When he was done and he had reclaimed his blade, he made to move towards the door, but instead, paused before the full-length mirror, staring at his reflection in the mirror.

What could possibly be so special about him?

He let his hand drop from where it had moved to his cheek, and simply stared at what he found to be the most unremarkable person in the world. He wasn't worth heartache… and he wasn't worth Takao. He bit his lip, agonising over what he could do.

He closed his eyes and sighed heavily, before reopening them, finding determined citrine staring back.

Decision made, he turned away from the glass and left the room.

"GENBU!" The familiar war cry of Max Mizuhara carried over the whispering sound of waves. Feeling a smile pull at his lips, he moved onwards, and as he breached the top of the steps leading down towards the sand. Max looked up, catching sight of him as he descended. His freckled face broke into a wide grin and he waved. "Hey, Rei!"

Immediately, three faces turned to him. Kai sent him a quick glance before he stared back at Max. "Max! Concentrate." He snapped, jolting Max's attention back to his blade, throwing himself into his attack on Kai's blade. Rei smiled at that, before his eyes locked onto deep brown.

Takao blushed and looked away, causing a guilty tug at Rei's heart. Biting back a sigh, Rei carried on walking, stopping only when he stood at the dishes side.

Glancing about at his friends, Rei opened his mouth to talk. "It's about time you showed up, Rei." He closed his mouth and turned to the one who had jumped in before him. Kai looked torn between bored and annoyed. "Never mind. You'll be going up against Max next."

"But, Kai. I need—"

"To get training. _Now_. Unless you plan on being sloppy this tournament?" Kai interrupted.

Rei coloured at Kai's insult and puffed his cheeks out. "Whatever." He muttered in a rare display of petulance. This was not lost on Kai, whose eyes narrowed yet more in response, as if challenging Rei to say more. Rei ignored him and turned his attention onto the beydish, launching his blade as soon as Kai's had left the dish. Max looked confused at the lack of a countdown, and launched just after.

The two blades circled one another, occasionally clashing. Max watched the exchanging of blows with devoted single-mindedness, but Rei's attentions, however, were divided. His eyes rested on his blade for only a moment before they flickered back up to Takao who was still doing everything in his power to avoid looking at him. Rei couldn't help but sigh, worrying once again.

Rei's lacklustre performance did not go unnoticed by the rest of his team. Max sent a confused glance to Kai, who merely looked unimpressed back and offered him a nod. Taking that as his cue, Max readied himself.

"Draciel! Attack!" He called out.

His cry finally alerted Rei, snapping him out of his dream-like state. "Ah! Drigger!" he tried to defend, but it was too late. Without even needing to summon Genbu, Max's blade clipped Rei's and sent it tumbling onto the sand.

Rei blinked, looking as if he had only just remembered that he had been blading as he stared down at his blade in a daze.

"Wow, Rei… are you sick? I mean the sleeping in and all… are you okay?" Max asked, blue eyes wide and concerned.

"Go back to bed, Rei. You're obviously of no use to us today." Kai interjected.

Rei frowned, angered by yet another of Kai's jibes. Leaning down to reclaim his blade, Rei brushed the sand off before pocketing it. "Thank you for your _concern_, Kai, but I need to talk to Takao."

Takao's head shot up at the mention of his name, a light flush upon his cheeks. Kai crossed his arms, looking at the two with narrowed eyes. Rei gave him a challenging glare back, thoroughly annoyed with the way he had been treated so far today by his team captain. Kai shrugged, looking uninterested suddenly and he turned back to Kyoujyu, relaying some order or another to him.

Rei's shoulders dropped, the fight gone out of him and he began to trudge away. A single glance back confirmed that Takao was trailing along behind him and he moved to climb the stairs, leading away from the beach. When they eventually reached a little bench he deemed to be far enough away from the rest of the group, he sat down upon it. Takao followed his lead and sat down besides him, as far away as the bench would allow.

The silence grew heavier by the second and Rei felt that he was close to choking on it. Gathering his courage, he clenched his fists and took a deep breath. "I've been… thinking."

Takao nodded. "I noticed." He replied in a quiet voice. Rei fell quiet again, tracing the pattern of the iron armrest closest to him in a way to occupy his fidgeting fingers. This time, Takao broke the silence. "And have you… erm. Have you made your mind up?"

Rei bit his lip. "I think… I—" He broke off, swallowing down his nervousness. "I have."

Takao nodded, once again, and looked about ready to be sick. "Rei, I— I just want you to know… I _did_ mean it. I wouldn't lie about something like that, so… if you think it was a joke or something, well. It wasn't."

Laughing softly, Rei smiled at him. "I know that, Taka. I never even considered that you'd be joking."

"Oh." Takao muttered, looking a little more relieved. "Well… you say you've made your mind up?"

"Yes." Rei replied softly.

Takao forced a smile. "And… do I want to know the answer? No, don't answer that." He rushed when Rei went to open his mouth. "What… what is your answer?"

There he'd asked. His voice had trembled, but he had shown the same character that had won him so many beyblade matches. Even though he knew Rei wouldn't say yes, at least he had been brave enough to tell him his feelings and to give it a try. No one else could say that, and so he sat there, waiting while he gripped the bench, trying to dispel his nausea.

Then Rei sighed and closed his eyes, sliding them back open, gifting him with lustrous saffron as his eyes locked onto his own.

And then Rei's lips were moving, even before his soft voice reached his ears.

"Yes."

* * *

End note: I was looking at the reviews for my collab fic: L'Orage…. When the Hell did we get 42 reviews? XD; 

Anyway. Please enjoy. See you next week.

Status: Working on Chapter 6


	2. Confusion

This is a slow moving chapter, I'll admit. The plot will really start to come about at the end of this chapter, but for the most part, this is the chapter that provides background info. Prease enjoy. x3

Thanks, yet again, Sara. xxx

* * *

Since Rei was a child, he'd always wondered what it would be like to be held. Of course, he'd had Mao's arms wrapped around his neck hundreds of times, or Rai's arm slung across his shoulders, or Gao throwing trunk-like arms around him and crushing him in an affectionate bear hug. 

That wasn't what he meant. No, what Rei had always wanted to experience was to be enfolded in a secure embrace and held close. Feeling for that moment like he was the most precious person in the world.

Most people had had that feeling; A mother squishing her fidgeting child close, a brother holding his little sister tightly while she cries, a grandmother enveloping a small child with adoration. Yes, most people had experienced something similar to this, and yet, Rei could honestly say that he had not until he was seventeen years old. How very sad.

He sighed, shifting his head from where it was resting upon Takao's shoulder. The younger smiled and tightened his grip around his prize.

At that moment, they were simply sitting, watching television. Rei was lying across the settee, leaning into Takao's side, wrapped in a loose embrace. It was something he could get used to, this feeling of being cherished. It was something he had longed for, and yet…

"Oh! Sorry guys." Max's voice interrupted the scene.

Rei sat up, stretching and offering Max a small smile. "Don't worry about it, Max. What's up?"

Max looked hesitant for a second. "Ummm… my program's on in a minute. Do you mind if I switch over?"

"Of course not, Max." Rei assured.

The younger looked unsure for a moment, before he smiled slightly and sat down in front of the settee and took the remote Takao offered.

Rei pondered the way Max was acting quietly to himself.

Six days ago, Takao Kinomiya had declared his love for him, Rei Kon. Until that day, Rei had never had anyone tell him that they loved him in his life and it had thrown him into confusion. He was so used to taking care of everyone and working himself into exhaustion just to prove himself, that the thought of someone actually caring for _him_ was foreign. It had, within the safe confines of his mind, been a fantasy of his. For someone to love him and want him near; someone who would wrap their arms around him without hesitation… someone to make him feel special. Appreciated. Worth _something_.

Five days ago, Rei had given Takao his answer. To begin with Takao had looked surprised, as if he hadn't believed that Rei could possibly say yes. Rei's heart had leapt when he had seen the delighted grin break out on the younger blader's face. Rei loved making others happy, and the fact that it was _he_ that made Takao happy, made it all the sweeter. The following hug had made his heart thud in his chest, being seized up and held tight. Rei had almost been overwhelmed. It had felt so… so… amazing. No one had ever held him like that before and it made him feel so safe and secure. Rei had been so used to looking after himself that the feeling of being cared for made him relax when he had never even known he was stressed.

It was like a breath of fresh, sweet air. However, there was… something. Something that was—

The sound of the door being shoved open jolted Rei from his thoughts. Kai strode in, pausing to glance around the room. His eyes settled upon the couple of the sofa, narrowing into a sharp glare. Rei felt taken aback by its intensity, but Kai ignored the look and turned away from them.

"Don't bother with doing dinner for me, I'm going out for a bit." He said without the slightest bit of enthusiasm, and turned back around to march out of the door.

Rei frowned and stood up, suddenly intent on following the elder blader.

"Rei?' He paused and looked back to Takao. "I really wouldn't."

"Yeah, Rei. He's been in a really bad mood for weeks now. I'd leave him alone."

Rei's frown deepened. "I'm just going to ask him if he wants me to put some in the fridge for him later."

"It's your funeral." Max muttered, before getting a thwap on the head from Takao.

Rei rolled his eyes and moved out into the hallway, finding that Kai was standing by the front door and shrugging on his coat.

"Kai," Rei began softly.

"What?" Kai interrupted, not even sparing him a backward glance.

Rei's eyes widened at the dismissive way Kai was treating him. "I was only going to say that I'd put some dinner in the fridge for you to eat later, Kai." He said patiently.

Kai shrugged. "I said don't bother."

Rei almost winced at Kai's snappiness and tried again. "Well, you never know. What time will you be back?"

"'Dunno." Kai said simply, opening the door.

"Well, will you at least tell me where you're going to go?" Rei demanded, getting extremely frustrated.

"_Out_." Kai bit out, marching out through the open door and slamming it behind him, leaving Rei standing there, bewildered.

He stood in silence, hand unconsciously cupped against his chest, simply watching the door. Then the hurt set in. An ache setting within his heart, mind reeling.

Slowly, dejectedly, Rei moved off into the kitchen, deciding to start dinner since it was his turn. He remained quiet, even when Hiromi arrived. Though she didn't bother him, he knew that she was aware that something was wrong. However, as he went to call the others in for dinner, she caught him by the elbow.

"Rei, they're not stupid. I don't know what's wrong, but you either tell them, or you act like nothing's wrong, all right?"

Rei's eyes widened at her sudden seriousness. " Hiromi?"

"Look, Rei. Takao's head over heels at the moment so… either be honest with him about what's the matter, or try not to let him see how down you are." She suggested.

Rei was taken aback by the amount of care she showed for that moment, used to as he was, to her bossy yells, or delighted laughter. He sighed and forced a smile. "You're right. Thanks."

The dinner had gone by as usual, though nobody mentioned Kai's empty space. Rei managed to keep his smile in place and despite Takao's kind offer to clean up for him, he set about wiping the table over and washing the plates with forced light- heartedness.

Once he was done and the kitchen empty, his smile dropped and his eyes grew worried. He stood, indecisive for a moment, before he spun around and grabbed a dishcloth. He turned the hot tap on and waited for a moment for steam to begin rising from the streaming water. Deeming it hot enough he folded the dishcloth and soaked it in the scalding water. Then he took a deep breath and pressed it to his forehead, wincing and fighting back a gasp.

Satisfied, he stepped back from the sink, turning off the tap as he did so, and dropping the dishcloth onto the sideboard. He made his way to the living room and stood by the open door.

He cleared his throat. "Guys? I think I'm going to head to bed." He announced.

Takao's eyes darted to Rei, before flickering to the wall clock and then back to Rei. "Rei, it's only seven-ish and… hey!" He stood up suddenly, eyes flashing with worry as he neared the elder youth. "Are you all right? Your face is all flushed!"

Rei raised a hand to his forehead. "Yeah, I've just got a headache."

Takao reached out to cup Rei's cheeks in his hands, causing Rei to blush. "Hmm, your face is really over-heated." He stated, before he stepped back a little and nodded. "Get some sleep then, Rei. I hope you feel better in the morning." He quickly leaned in and pressed a small kiss to Rei's red left cheek.

Rei's blush grew hotter and he nodded in return, stepping out of Takao's grip. "Thanks. Good night, Max!" He smiled at the younger boy before him, resisting the urge to fidget when he saw the expectant look in Takao's eyes. He swallowed and took another step back. " 'Night, Taka." He smiled, turning away before he had a chance to see Takao's disappointment.

It didn't take him long to brush his teeth, and change into his night clothes, though taking his hair out of it's customary bind and brushing it took a good few minutes. Once he was satisfied and his hair tied back into a secure, low ponytail, he settled down in bed and lay once again on his back, staring at the ceiling.

In truth, he _did_ have a headache. This morning, life had by no means been perfect, but it had at least been good. He had a sweet boyfriend and good friends, and then it had all been ruined. To say that he wasn't hurt by Kai's behaviour would be a lie.

The truth was, Kai's dismissals cut him to the core. It may be hard to believe to the outsider, but at one time, Kai and Rei had been close. _Very close_. _Best friends_ close. Though it had taken time, Kai had told Rei about his life, his hopes, his thoughts and his feelings. Rei had returned the favour, for example Kai was the only one who knew that he had never known his parents, and Kai was the only one who knew the silly things like how much Rei loved to idly sketch and that Rei loved springtime. They had spent nearly all of their time together, laughing (something Kai was more than capable of it seemed) and training and simply relaxing with one another. Kai had always offered him comfort, and Rei had realised, quite late that he was really, _very_ attracted to the other. By that point, he knew Kai well enough that if he made the wrong gesture, his friendship with Kai would be over. So instead, he settled for his dreams, which ranged from intense, to romantic to downright weird at times. Even after the team had split up and they had beybattled alone for a tournament, Rei was still Kai's best friend, and, despite Rai, Kai had been Rei's.

It had all changed about two months back. Where Kai had been openly friendly with Rei, and often requested that they train together, Kai was suddenly distant. He seemed unwilling to talk to him unless absolutely necessary, avoided all forms of contact and looked upon him with what seemed to be hate.

What hurt the most was that the transition had been sudden. They hadn't argued, Rei hadn't done anything to risk their friendship, and no one had come between them. It had just… deteriorated. Rei would be lying to say that he didn't badly miss it.

Kai had been interesting, and contrary to popular belief, funny and caring. Rei had used to enjoy their time spent together, as Kai was the friend that Rai, and the rest of the Bai Fu Zu couldn't be. Even though they hadn't been overt in their close friendship, it had still very much been there. In a sense, Rei felt robbed and he found himself almost pining after their old friendship that he had believed to be so strong.

It had been after the degeneration of their relationship that had driven Rei to have ever more frequent dreams. Dreams in which, as he had all ready acknowledged were often sexual in nature, where Kai acted as a lover rather than a friend. Perhaps it was a secret desire for a lover that had finally settled Rei's final answer to accept Takao's request of a relationship.

Takao…

It would be a lie to say that Rei didn't love him. I just wasn't the right _kind_. When Rei looked at the other boy he felt no passion, or devotion, or desire. There was, instead, a kind of protective need to look after him, more akin to the feelings associated with a little brother, or cousin. Perhaps the need to protect Takao's heart influenced his decision to become his boyfriend. It could have been, instead, purely in the hope that his love would develop into the kind of love required. Perhaps it was all of those reasons and more.

Rei didn't know if he regretted it or not. He really didn't know _how_ he felt. He revelled in the way that Takao put his arms around him, and the way he was treated with so much affection and appreciation. And yet, at the same time he was plagued with the nagging feeling that though it was all so wonderful, it wasn't quite… right. That confused him and it made him hesitant, no less because, just two days ago, Takao had made it rather apparent that he wanted to kiss Rei.

Ironically enough, that scared Rei more than his battle with Boris and Dunga combined. Because, though it had never bothered Rei before… Rei was seventeen. And had never been kissed.

The thought made him blush… badly.

He had, of course, imagined it, based upon movies and television he had seen, and his dreams had led him to passionate, breath- taking kisses. But they were nothing more than fantasy and fantasy didn't tend to be like the real thing. For one, it was bad enough that Rei had never even _thought_ about kissing Takao before, let alone he couldn't _now_ even when he _tried_, but Takao was _expecting_ it and Rei had no idea what to do. Being older, Takao might be waiting for Rei to initiate, which again came back to the inexperienced issue. What a fantastic way to embarrass himself- to finally find the nerve to just do it only to end up being sloppy and awkward. On top of that, what if Takao got tired of waiting and just kissed him? Not knowing what he was supposed to do, he would probably just freeze like some kind of moron or fail abysmally at copying motion, either way it would be painfully obvious he didn't have a clue. Not that Rei was either full of himself or felt the need to be perfect, but his ego was fragile enough as it was, so there was only so much humiliation he could take.

He sighed for what seemed to be the millionth time since this whole drama had begun and asked the question that usually followed: What was he going to do?

It was some time later, when the door to his room clicked open and the rustling sounds of someone getting undressed and sliding into bed reached his ears. Only when the sound of soft, deep breathing washed over him, did he finally drop off to sleep.

* * *

As usual, the sound of running water roused him from the depths of sleep. Dark, delicate lashes fluttering, as citrine coloured eyes opened to the world. Rei lay still for a moment, waking up, before a shuddering yawn pulled itself from him. Scrunching his eyes shut, he arched his back stretching sleepy muscles languidly. With a contented sigh, he flopped back down, before gathering his will and sliding out of bed. He reached over to his bedside table and picked up his brush. By the time Kai stepped out of the en suite, towelling his hair dry, Rei had rid his hair of tangles and knots. 

Kai took one look at the raven shawl, before muttering; "Hair day?"

It had been a tradition among them… one of the few that still existed. If Rei had his hair out in the morning by the time Kai was out of the shower, Kai would announce that it was 'hair day'- a day upon which Rei had decided to partake in the labourous task of cleaning his tresses. Though times had changed and Kai no longer smirked or chuckled at the younger when he used to poke his tongue out at the response, he still, out of habit uttered those words.

In stead, he said after he had walked back into the bathroom to toss the towel back onto the hook: "Practice starts in an hour. Don't be late." And with a curt nod, he turned and left the room.

Rei huffed and made his way towards the bathroom, beginning the ritual so fondly referred to as '_hair day'. _Rushing through it, due to the tight schedule, Rei managed to get himself ready in fifty minutes, though his hair was a mess as a result. Cursing to himself, he looked scornfully at the mirror one last time, before he reached out to grab and pocket his beyblade. He hurried down the stairs and made his way out into the dojo's courtyard.

There he found that Kai, Takao, and Hiromi were all ready assembled. At the sight of Rei, Takao pulled away from whatever he was glaring at Kai for and offered Rei a beaming smile.

"Morning, gorgeous." He announced with a grin.

Rei blushed, but couldn't help but smile. "Sorry to disappoint, Taka but I don't think this person of yours showed up. Morning, everyone."

"Morning, Rei." Hiromi smiled, though she seemed to study him briefly as she did so.

Max and Kyoujyu came bustling into the courtyard.

"Morning, guys! Not late are we?" Max greeted.

"I was just showing Max this idea I'd had." Kyoujyu added.

Kai shook his head to indicate the negative. "Well, if we're all here, we might as well get started. Max, I trust Kyoujyu showed you the plans for a new style of launch to enhance attack, so I want you to train with Takao to see just how effective it is. Rei, you're with me. We're concentrating on your speed, so we'll be training on the sand."

Rei's heart dropped. Training off on his own with Kai only made it all the more apparent to him just how much they had grown apart. Regardless of his feelings on the matter though, he nodded. "Sure, that's fine by me."

"Kyoujyu, Hiromi… go with Max and Takao." Kai continued. "Kyoujyu you'll be analysing the effectiveness of Max's new launch. Hiromi, you can add your input where you see fit. Is everyone clear?" Everyone nodded. "Right then, we'll see each other later. Rei, come on."

"See you, Rei." Takao smiled sweetly, before heading off towards the beydish in his garden. Rei waved once, and then turned around and followed Kai.

They walked along the sun-dappled path and down the stone stairs leading towards the sand in the silence shared between two people that had nothing to say to one another. Kai eventually spoke once they reached the beach, telling Rei what to do briefly before pulling out his own beyblade and setting it in his launcher.

And then they trained. Seconds became minutes, which bled into hours. They worked until sweat beaded across their brows and small headaches warned them of the risks of prolonged concentration. The sun passed its zenith and began its slow descent, though it remained warm and they continued practicing, Kai urging Rei to try and stay as evasive as possible on the soft sand. Eventually, however, Kai called a halt to the training.

"What time is it?" Rei huffed, slightly tired out.

Kai took his watch from his pocket. "Half one." He said simply.

When nothing else seemed to be coming from the other, Rei took a deep breath. "So… are we done here? Because I think I've done as much as I can and if we go on for too long, I'm going to end up jamming the spin gear system with sand and I'll have Kyoujyu on my case." Kai merely nodded at that, and Rei couldn't help but feel compelled to continue, not wishing to sound ungrateful. "But I _do_ see why we did this, Kai. It was a really good idea. Getting used to moving on sand should get Driger moving much faster on a solid surface, so thank you."

Kai turned around, facing away from the younger blader as he began to study Dranzer in the sparkling daylight. "You don't need to thank me, Rei. It's my job to make you a better blader."

"Yeah, but… there's nothing wrong with letting you know I appreciate it." Kai didn't respond, which made Rei grow a little more fidgety. "Umm… well if we're done here, I'll go and see how the others are doing-"

"We're not done." Kai cut in.

Rei blinked. "You still want to _train_?"

"No, we're done training." Kai pocketed his blade once again and turned to face Rei. "I need to talk to you."

'_Sounds ominous'_ Rei thought, not failing to miss the grave expression upon Kai's features. "Okay?" He replied levelly.

Kai stepped towards him, making his way closer until he was a metre away from his team-mate. "Rei. As captain it is my job to ensure that the team works at its optimum performance. Correct?"

"…Right?" Rei responded.

"I've given it thought and I have decided that no matter how hard I try to ignore it, a recent development has arisen that I simply cannot allow." He continued.

"Development… Kai, what are you talking about?" Rei asked, utterly lost.

Kai's eyes narrowed. "This so called _relationship_ you have with Kinomiya. You will end it."

"_What_?" Rei gasped. "Kai, you can't be _serious_?" He spluttered.

Kai's glare turned almost vicious. "Unlike this farce of a relationship, I'm serious. I've got no time for make- believe on my team. End this ridiculous debacle now, before it inevitably goes wrong and ruins all that we've worked for."

Yellow eyes slit in fury. "So that's it? _That's_ what we've come to? God, Kai! I don't know what the _fuck_ I did to make you hate me _so_ much, but to accuse what Takao and I share as a basis for the team falling apart is lower than I thought you were capable of." He hissed, furious at Kai's thoughtless words. "Team, team, team! It's all about the team for you isn't it? It's never been about _us_, just the damned _unit_. Well, Kai. _Some_ of us have our own lives, so don't you try to take mine away from me!" Rei spat out, and moved, making to storm past Kai.

He didn't get very far. "You _will_ listen to me, Rei." Kai stated, barely suppressed fury of his own thick in his voice as he caught Rei's wrist in an iron- like grasp. "End it."

Rei could detect the warning in that message, but his own anger drove him onwards. "You won't bully me, Kai. I'm not ending anything and that's that."

Kai growled, his grip tightening which made Rei almost wince. "I'm warning you, Rei. Dump Kinomiya before you both get hurt."

"Is that a threat, Hiwatari?" Rei growled out.

Kai's eyes narrowed further still, into furious slits of burning red. "It's a promise, _Rei_."

"Who the _fuck_ do you think you are?" Rei's voice was nothing more than a hiss, trembling with rage.

"I'm your captain." Kai responded in a similar fashion, pulling Rei closer in an attempt to intimidate him with his vicious glare and his larger frame.

Rei, however, was not impressed. "And you know what? I used to respect you for that, Kai, but now, I just don't _fucking_ care."

Kai's voice dropped to a whisper. "You _should_ do."

Yellow eyes glittered, narrowing in anger. Rei's retort, however, never left the tip of his tongue, because at the precise moment he made to open his mouth—

Kai was kissing him.

* * *

So blatantly coming, but Rei didn't see it coming. xD 


	3. Manipulation

Naxt part -

Been watching Japanese Beyblade. Kai _does_ call Takao; "Kinomiya"… so I had to add it xD

Love to Shell, Janey and Chris.

* * *

"Oh my God! And then Draciel just… ricocheted off the edge of the dish and it came around SUPER fast and wham! It hit Dragoon _just_ under its attack ring!" 

"Yeah, well… the first few times Dragoon won." Takao added.

"I _had_ to practice it _first_, Takao! Besides, you're just sore over the way I thrashed you!" Max laughed.

"To be fair," Kyoujyu cut in, "Max's new launch was excellent, if we keep practicing it, it may just give us the extra edge."

"Whoo! Hear that? Draciel and I are the team's new secret weapon!"

"Yeah, yeah. Well at least Rei still has faith in me." Takao grinned. "Right, Rei?" A small frown touched Takao's brow. "Rei?" He said again, louder the second time.

"Hmm?" Rei started as his thoughts were suddenly intruded on.

Takao's smile faded, concern flashing in his chestnut coloured eyes. "Rei, are you still not well? You've been quiet all day. You're okay, aren't you?"

Rei chewed the inside of his cheek, heart wrenching at the sweet concern Takao was showing him. He tore his eyes away, which made Takao misinterpret his guilt as embarrassment. "I'm all right, Takao, honestly."

"You sure? You seemed miles away, do you still have that headache?" Takao persisted.

Rei abhorred lying, but, seeing it as his only way to escape Takao's worrying, he forced a smile and raised a hand to touch at his forehead. "I'll be all right, honestly. I just need to have a sit down where it's nice and quiet." The partial truth, Rei felt much better about that.

Dinnertime had come and gone in the Kinomiya dojo, and presently the boys of the BBA Revolution –excluding Kai- were sitting at the table, discussing their training from earlier in the day. Rei stood, feeling extremely tired. "I think I'll go and sit in the living room for a while."

Takao nodded, concern obvious and Rei stood, moving to push his chair back into place. It was inevitably at that moment the kitchen door opened and Kai walked through. He looked up, eyes meeting Rei's, making Rei freeze in place.

"Kai! You missed dinner again!" Takao spoke up, drawing Kai's attention to the kitchen table.

"Yeah, Kai! I was telling everybody about my new launch!" Max added, excitement pouring off him in almost visible waves.

Kai moved towards a free seat and pulled it out, sitting himself down as Hiromi rushed to serve him up some dinner. "Was it successful?" Kai asked in a quiet voice as he reached out for a glass of juice.

Rei was thankful as Max threw himself back into his story, knowing it would be a good enough distraction to take his escape.

"Hey, Kai?" Takao suddenly interrupted Max's ranting. "What's that red mark on your face?"

Rei stopped dead, grimacing. '_Oh God_.' Was the only thing that came to mind. Very slowly, he turned around, giving Kai his best pleading expression.

Kai stared at him a moment, before looking back to Takao. "Rei hit me."

Rei's heart stopped in his chest as everyone gasped, turning to look at him.

"_Really_?" Takao said, eyes wide in shock.

Max blinked. "Whoa, did you two have an argument?"

Rei gave Kai a helpless look. '_Please, Kai. Let this be the last thing I ever ask of you. Please.' _ He willed the team captain sitting across the room at him, staring right back.

Seeing Rei's desperate look, the other occupants of the room looked to Kai. Dark blue eyelashes slowly lowered and rose as he shrugged languidly. "It wasn't on purpose. I was standing too close behind him while he launched and I leaned in to suggest something as he pulled the ripcord and his elbow caught my cheek." He explained.

Rei released the breath that he had been holding as the other boys simultaneously released '_Oh's'_ of understanding, relief flooding through him. He owed Kai big time, and though that was like selling his soul to the devil, for the moment, Rei was just glad that the elder had complied.

"I'm going to go and sit down." Rei said quietly, before he turned and all but dashed from the room. When he reached the living room a few strides later, he flopped down onto the settee, grateful to simply be alone for a while. He heaved a sigh, thanking the Gods that Max's story, added to Kai's questioning and Kyoujyu's inevitable ranting would keep the others detained for a while.

He was so tired. His head was a mess and nothing was getting any clearer. Chewing on his lip, Rei closed his eyes, trying to sort at least _some_ of his thoughts out.

* * *

_Lips, so much softer and warmer than he would have imagined, pleasingly damp, but not sloppy just wetted enough to comfortably slide against his own. He stood still. In shock? Enraptured?_

_His mind was so muddled, swathed in a fuzzy heat that emanated from his own lips. He didn't know what he was supposed to do, but the touch was so soothing and so gentle. It silently encouraged him, letting him set the pace he wanted to._

_Shyly, so shyly he pressed back against the comforting pressure, eyes dazed and unfocused, staring out across the rolling waves. He was pulled slowly closer, in a firm, but sweet embrace supporting his body and pressing it against a bigger, warmer frame that sent wave after wave of protective calm._

_Lips parted slightly, and tongue, warm and wet pushed gently against his own sealed lips, coaxing them into opening for its entry._

_He pulled back, fearful and startled._

"_Shhhh…" The voice was so soft. "It's okay."_

"_I… I'm not… I don't…"_

_His fears were pushed aside, as the lips returned, moving against his in delicate whispers. "I know, close your eyes. Don't think… just do whatever feels right."_

_Comfort washed over him, and for the first time, he wasn't panicking over whether he'd be good enough. Though bashful, he slid his eyes closed, and opened his lips the tiniest fraction; the limits of his nerve. It was enough. That warm, wet tongue returned, pushing his lips open the rest of the way and swept in, gliding against his own dormant muscle, teasing it into playing._

_He couldn't help but groan at the feeling. It felt better than he had ever imagined and he let himself go, giving in to the hand which had risen to the back of his head, pushing him closer. He let the kiss grow deeper, both slanting their mouths to reach maximum contact. The sensitive skin of his lips tingled with a pleasant electricity that ran to his cheeks, heating them in a blush, much like the colour of the others eyes currently sealed off to him as they left the world behind._

_It was like, only they existed. All of his worries were gone. He hesitantly answered to the kiss, fearful that he would do the wrong thing, but the gentle pushing of tongue against tongue, touching and teasing, dancing and embracing reassured him. He knew he was doing okay. He knew he wasn't disappointing. His trembling hands moved without thought, coming to rest around a cloth covered neck, fingers finding themselves running through soft strands of silken hair._

_A warm hand clasped against his hip, kneading even as the one at the base of his neck did. He couldn't help but moan as the heat between them made him feel light headed. In response, the kiss grew more passionate. His eyes fluttered, mind focused on the slick tongue mating with his and he trembled at the hot breath upon his flushed cheek._

_Time stood still, he was overwhelmed as he was held, their music the surge and withdrawal of the ocean besides them, and soft moans from deep within sighing throats. In those long moments, he realised why people were so happy to kiss. It was utterly enthralling and it was beautiful and astounding and so many other adjectives used in an attempt to describe just how wonderfully _perfect_ it was. His choice was made. He wanted this perfect creature. He wanted this being who had so beautifully stolen his first kiss. He needed him. As long as they both cared so much for one another, they could figure out the love part later on._

_It was after what seemed to him to be an indefinable amount of time that they pulled apart and one last, chaste kiss was pressed to his moist, swollen lips._

_His eyes flickered, focusing upon the mouth that had just left his, noting that the lips seemed fuller than usual. Gaze flickering upwards, he locked onto umber, so endlessly deep that he idly wondered if he would ever find his way back again._

_He knew who he wanted. His mind had finally been made up. Takao would be a little hurt, but after a couple of days everyone would be happy. _

_Rei smiled, and opened his mouth, ready to tell the other his revelation._

"_Rei?"_

_

* * *

_  
"Rei? Hey… Rei?"

Rei's eyes snapped open. "Wha…?"

Chestnut eyes dominated his vision, which made him start. Takao pulled back. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't realise that you were asleep. Rei, do you need to lie down? You're _really_ flushed."

"I'm… I'm okay…" Rei whispered.

"No! You're _not_! Rei, I hate seeing you ill like this. Have a rest, can I get you a drink?" He persisted.

Rei bit his lip, heart giving that painful, guilty tug. "No, Takao. I'll be okay, honestly. I think I'll just have a lie down."

Takao's worry did not fade, but he still leaned in to press a soft kiss to Rei's forehead. He faintly heard Kai snort, which made him blush once more.

"Okay. Sleep well and feel better tomorrow." The Japanese said, moving away to allow Rei to stand.

Rei left the room without looking at anyone. It was rude, he knew, but he really couldn't face the rest of his friends. Once again, he needed to think. Once again he hurried through his night time ritual, and once again, he threw himself into bed and laid there, staring at the ceiling.

Kai had kissed him. And not just _any_ kiss. Oh no. A _proper_ kiss. A full on- tongue- in- the –mouth- knee- trembling- fuzzy- headed- whimper- inducing- emotional- hurricane- heart- wrenching kiss.

… His _first_ kiss.

It had shown him… something… he didn't quite know what, but it had been something akin to how Rei imagined flying would be like. Something spectacularly sublime and selfish and intimate. He'd been so close… he was so sure that his mind had been made up.

And then Kai had _ruined_ it all. Rei sighed and began to drift once more.

* * *

_Rei smiled, and opened his mouth, ready to tell the other his revelation._

_Kai however, beat him to it. "See?" The elder blader asked._

_Rei frowned, confused. "See what?" He whispered._

_"That you shouldn't be with Kinomiya. You're supposed to be his boyfriend, and yet you're happy to go and kiss me?"_

_"What… Kai?" Rei uttered, bewilderment clouding citrine eyes._

_"You won't kiss Takao will you? And yet you'll kiss me. What does that say for your so-called relationship?" Kai pressed, looking haughtily at the younger._

_A pang of hurt. "You… you knew that was my first, didn't you?" Rei whispered._

_"You told me months back that you'd never been kissed, Rei, and I know that you hadn't kissed Takao because I heard him whining about it. It was a safe deduction." Kai said simply._

_Rei's yellow eyes narrowed as anger began to bubble within him. "Then… why?" The sinking suspicion within him was telling him that Kai didn't care about him after all. That Kai didn't like him like that. That Kai had had a purpose…_

_"Why?" Kai looked surprised, before he frowned, continuing. "To show you how little you value your own relationship. To show you that you're not right for Kinomiya and to show you that you need to end this stupid little stint. At this rate, you'll break apart everything we've worked hard for. Are you really that selfish, Rei?"_

_Rei was trembling, his world was spinning out of control. Rei looked up into those self-righteous red eyes, eyes he had been so enthralled by and now disgusted him. "Selfish?" His voice was little more than a whisper, trembling under the strain. "Selfish?" he said again, voice rising. "**You took my first kiss to prove a fucking point**?" Rei broke, venting his fury at his team captain, voice taught with outrage._

_"It needed to be done." Kai said simply._

_He didn't see the fist until it connected with his right cheek, snapping his head back and making him stumble._

_"BASTARD!" Rei screeched. "You son of a BITCH! We're done, Kai. You hate me, so fine, now stay the FUCK away from me. I'll do my own training from now on!"_

_With that, Rei had marched away, stubbornly fighting back tears. A single one broke free, trailing down his cheek, which he hastily scrubbed away. Everything had just come crashing down. Just when he thought things were starting to make sense, just when he was dared to believe that things would work out okay… it was even more of a mess than before._

* * *

As usual, the shower was the first thing that came to Rei's senses. Slowly, he opened his eyes, yawning as he did so. He was surprised that he had drifted off so easily, considering his inner turmoil. Perhaps he had simply been exhausted. 

Realising that laying around would not be his best option, Rei rolled onto his stomach, burying his face into the pillow and letting out a short, frustrated shout. A fraction calmer, he flopped back onto his behind, sitting up. Not wanting to waste time, Rei pulled himself from his bed, quickly changing into his clothes and evacuating the room as quickly as possible. Though loath to admit hiding, Rei hung around just out of view in the corridor, waiting until Kai left their room to return to it to take up his usual morning ritual.

After his shower was done and his teeth and hair brushed, he took a few moments to simply stand in their room, chewing on his bottom lip. How could he face Kai now? On top of that how could he face Takao? The boy loved him and he had gone off and clung on to Kai with just the slightest encouragement!

But then… Kai had misled him. Rei had thought that Kai meant it and had been willing to give it a go with Kai. Evidently, he had not and Rei was back at square one. Lusting after someone who didn't care, and not loving the one who did the most…

That was it. He wasn't going to hurt Kai, and the team captain had made in clear that they had no future. He should and would do his best with Takao, and like he had thought before, perhaps his love for him could change into the way that lovers did… maybe… hopefully.

Somehow, he managed to gather the courage to leave the room and make his way down to the kitchen.

"Rei!" Takao cheered, positively bouncing over towards his boyfriend. "You look so much better! Are you feeling better?"

Rei smiled and reached out to ruffle the other boy's hair fondly. "Yeah, yeah I feel better, Taka."

Takao grinned, relief obvious. "Come and sit down! I'll make you breakfast! Do you want rice?"

"I don't want him poisoned, Kinomiya." Another voice cut in.

The Japanese youth spun around, and stuck his tongue out. "That's more your style isn't it, Kai?"

Kai's eyes narrowed into a glare. "At least I'd do it intentionally."

Rei blinked, sensing a little too much promise in those words. He coughed to break the tension. "Yes please, Taka. I'd love a bowl of rice. May I ask what's gotten you so happy? You're not usually this jolly at this time of morning." Rei asked as he moved to sit down at the table –as casually far away from Kai as possible, of course. Kai either didn't notice or didn't care.

"We've got no training today!" Takao beamed. "After you went to bed early last night, our fearless team captain here said that since Max's launch was a success, we could do what we want today."

"Well, we need Max to have a break to ensure that he can pick up his launch easily again." Kai interjected. "Besides, I'd like to have one day off from babysitting every now and again." He added quietly, eyeing the paper he was holding.

Takao looked about ready to bite, when he shrugged it off and chose to ignore the other. "Yeah, so we agreed to go and see a movie. We don't do stuff much with each other that's not Beyblading. Kai's even coming."

"Kai?" Rei spoke without thinking; surprised that Kai was actually willingly spending time with them outside of a beyblading sense.

"They're going to see some action flick." Kai explained simply. "And I feel like watching idiots get themselves blown up."

Rei's eyes narrowed at Kai's words, knowing full well that the elder was trying to get a rise out of him. Rei turned his back on him and began to eat the rice that Takao had placed before him. To his surprise, it really wasn't that bad.

* * *

"You'll share with me, won't you, Rei?" Takao insisted. 

"Erm..."

"He doesn't even like popcorn. Don't you know your own boyfriend?" Kai drawled.

"Hey! How was I supposed to know?" Takao snapped.

"I thought it was the little things that mattered, Kinomiya." Kai smirked.

"Like you'd know." Takao shot back.

"Can we just sit down?" Max whined.

Rei sighed in relief as the group filed into a row of seats. Kai and Takao's bickering was even worse than usual. It seemed that, without Beyblading to distract them, their usual criticisms became snippy and more personal. Thankfully though, Kai had chosen to sit before the group, meaning that there were Max and Kyoujyu to separate the two.

Rei was even more thankful though, because that meant there were Max, Kyoujyu and Takao separating himself and Kai.

The lights slowly began to dim and the chatter in the room died down. It was just before the movie began, that shuffling alerted his attention to movement on his right. In the dim light, his eyes easily found Kai ambling over.

"Kai! What the Hell are you doing?" Takao whispered.

"None of your business." Kai growled.

"Oh, I get it! You didn't go to the toilet before you left the house. Honestly, Kai. We take you out for one day and you can't even—ouch!" The Japanese yelped as Kai "accidentally" kicked him in the shin.

A round of "Shhh" was heard throughout the cinema, sounding like giant boiler letting off steam. Rei didn't know who to feel more embarrassed by.

It was only a couple of minutes later when Kai returned. This time however, he flopped down into the unoccupied chair on Rei's other side. Rei squirmed in discomfort, displeased with the fact that Kai was next to him. It was hard to avoid someone when they were sitting next to you.

Eyes, mahogany so deep they looked black in the dim light turned to regard him. "I didn't feel like climbing over you all. Don't flatter yourself." He whispered simply.

Rei flushed at that, embarrassed at himself and, if he was honest, a little offended. As a result, as the movie began, he barely acknowledged it, staring at a space on the screen, simply thinking.

He had no idea how much time had passed, as he sat in his dazed state, but a soft fluttering against his leg bought him back into awareness. He paused for a moment, before passing the fleeting sensation off as material shifting.

The feeling returned. Stronger this time, accompanied by warmth.

Rei blinked. Surely Takao wouldn't be so…so… bold!

His eyes dropped and sure enough, he found a hand upon his thigh. What confused him however was that it was not the one that was next to Takao. Rei frowned; utterly confused, and very, very slowly he followed the hand, up the arm attached to it, and further up still. And then his eyes landed upon deep red.

The hand on his thigh squeezed. Rei couldn't stop the gasp that tore itself free of his throat.

"Rei?" Rei jolted again, this time finding chestnut on him. "Are you all right?"

Rei cleared his throat, shifting violently to try and dislodge Kai's hand. If Takao were to look down… "I-I'm all right, Takao. I just… just need the toilet suddenly!" He said suddenly, as an escape plan hit him like a speeding train- cliché, but effective. A round of 'shhhh's' from the rows around them caused a mortified blush to erupt across his cheeks.

He hoped to Buddha that the newspapers didn't have "Rei Kon caught interrupting an entire cinema with a proclamation of needing the toilet" splashed across the back pages tomorrow. As soon as he reached the male toilets, he leaned against the sink bar and buried his face in his hands. It was after what must have been a couple of minutes; he heard the door swing open.

"As far as cowardly tactics go, that's about the best… or the worst, depending on how you look at it."

Rei groaned, before raising his face and throwing his full glare on the other. "It's not my fault that I can't even watch a movie any more without being… being molested." He spat.

"Oh, please." Kai rolled his eyes.

"What do you mean, 'Oh please? What do you think you were playing at?" Rei growled out.

Kai only smirked. "I thought it was funny. I wonder how your precious Kinomiya would have reacted if he'd looked down."

"It's not funny at all, Kai." Rei snapped. "Look, you've obviously decided that I've done something a while back that's greatly upset you, but leave Takao alone. If you hurt him, I'll-"

"- You'll what, Rei? Hmm? Kiss me to death?" The challenge in Kai's voice caused Rei's blood to boil.

"That was obviously a mistake!" He shot back.

"Keep making mistakes, Rei, and it'll be you who ends up hurting Kinomiya. After all, I'm a free agent, _I'm_ not the one who cheated on the one he supposedly loves." Rei winced at the word 'cheated'. "So you see? I'm right. If you stay with him, you'll drive the whole team apart."

"_I'll_ drive the team apart?" Rei retorted. "At least I'm not a psycho captain who keeps taking advantage of his team-mate who's going out with his other team-mate." He sighed, rubbing his temples as the fight drained away from him. "Look… Kai. I understand your reservations," He admitted quietly "But this is what I want. Please respect that. Takao loves me and we're going to make a go of it."

Kai's eyebrows flew upwards, and suddenly Rei felt nervous. And then Kai smirked. "I see." What exactly Kai saw, Rei was afraid to enquire. "Well then…" He practically purred as he stalked towards the younger teen. Rei, without thinking, stepped back as Kai neared, staring at his team captain with wide, saffron eyes. He realised rather belatedly that his back had hit the wall. Kai continued his approach. "We'll see, Rei-ki. We'll see."

"S-see what?" Rei stuttered, shuddering as Kai's warmth pressed against him, trapping him and dominating him.

Kai gave Rei a superior smile. "Whether you learn from your mistakes."

And with that, for the second time in as many days, Kai's mouth pressed to his before he had a chance to answer.

* * *

**A note on Rei-ki**: I was watching episode 48 of G-Rev, and during Kai's recollection of 'the people that got him there' (anime necessity #12) –which, frankly, I don't really understand, but his Takano Urara voice is hot, so I don't care xD- As he thought of Rei he said something that sounded like 'Reiki'. He didn't but I was reminded of a little nugget I learned from the Tusbasa manga, where teenage girls add random cute noise-words (I'm not sure if it's onomatopoeia, or just a silly, cute noise they like to use) such as; -kii, -tan, -puu etc, to the end of names, and I thought, hey! That's a cool term of endearment: Rei-ki. I'm not fond of 'kitten' so I though I'd give it a try. 

Whether Kai is using it purposefully, subconsciously or as a joke remains to be seen.


	4. Complication

Exciting, there's been updating lately in the KaRe fandom!

Warnings: There's a little bit that's a bit...** racy**. Not sex though, trust me, I've had one story banned all ready.

Oh and… before people start screaming… yes **there _is_ a Rei and Takao kiss **in this chapter. I'm sorry, but… it has to be done. It's for the plot! poses

I also re-read Ropesie's fics and she reminded me of how Kai seemed to like laying down in bushes in Beyblade 2002/ V-Force. I still find his hilarious… what a weirdo.

* * *

Takao stared at him in horror, mouth opening and closing in a way resembling a fish. "Rei, I…" 

"You do realise, Kinomiya," Kai cut in "that this is all your fault."

Rei could see the tears gathering in the Champion's eyes, and he felt guilt grip his heart, making it squeeze uncomfortably within his chest. "Taka, don't listen to him, honestly-"

"But it _is_ my fault, isn't it, Rei?" Takao burst out. "I didn't do good enough."

"I told you this would happen." Kai muttered.

Rei glared at Kai. "Shut up, Kai." He admonished. The he turned back to Takao. "Taka, we're making a scene, and people just want to watch the movie. Look, you didn't make me sick." He said softly.

"But I did!" Takao mourned. "I wanted so much to make you happy and I had to go and mess it up."

"Taka… Taka, the rice was fine, I promise. You did a _really_ good job and it _did_ make me happy. I think it was just a bug that had to work its way out of my system." That one, he subtly hurled at the team captain sitting next to him, who looked rather pleased with himself.

"You should have heard the _noises_ he was making, Kinomiya." Kai purred. Rei glared at him heatedly, warning the elder. Kai shrugged. "He sounded like he was _dying_."

Rei flushed. "All right, can we please just watch the movie?" He pleaded, all too aware of the annoyed mass of people who had simply come to watch the film.

They lapsed into silence, much to the relief of Rei and the rest of the room. It was a few minutes later when Takao leaned in to whisper to Rei. "I'm really, really sorry, Rei."

Rei turned to him and smiled. "It's fine, Taka. Honestly, it wasn't your rice. That was lovely."

Takao smiled happily, and shyly reached out to take Rei's hand. Yellow eyes widened at the touch, but after a moment, he gripped it back.

"Awww, how sweet." Kai sneered, quietly so that only Rei could hear.

Rei pointedly ignored him and continued to watch the movie. He found, as time wore on that he felt more and more comfortable with the gentle warmth clasping about his hand.

His guilt, however, also grew.

It had happened again. It had happened again and he'd done _nothing_ to stop it.

Oh, he had tried pushing Kai away. He had tried protesting, but that had just given Kai's tongue the opportunity to leap into his mouth, which had in turn, turned his legs to jelly meaning that in a matter of _seconds_ Rei had gone from adamantly protesting to desperately clinging onto the one who seemed intent to ruin his life.

Was he really that much of a _whore_? He had everything that he could possibly want. He had a boyfriend that, while he didn't love, he still adored. He had a great relationship with his team –okay, he _used_ to until Kai went reclusive on him- and he had one of the most respected positions in the world in his favourite sport. He was _content_. After a life of ups and downs and confusion and fear and doubt and laughs and tears, he was finally at a stage where his life was stable and he was satisfied with it.

At least he thought he had. But, he considered, would someone who was supposedly so content _let_ his friend (ex-friend?) take advantage of him in a cinema toilet? He had been… _wanton_. And that scared Rei. He was inexperienced to say the least (obviously, since his first kiss had only been the previous day) and he had never felt such a complete loss of… _control_. In those few minutes as he had been wrapped in a tight embrace, pressed to a firm, warm body… well… Kai could have done _anything_ to him and he really wasn't sure if could have… or _would_ have stopped him.

He had lost himself in that sinful kiss for the second time, and once again, all thoughts of Takao had been far from his mind. Instead he had acted like some little… little… Rei sighed. He had acted like some little slut, clinging to Kai's neck and moaning as Kai's tongue had slid against and caressed his. _Whimpering_ as Kai's hands had reverently stroked against his arms and sides.

Rei blushed and shifted. He hadn't even been aware that he could _make_ those kinds of noises.

His eyes dropped down to regard his and Takao's connected hands and he couldn't help but smile. Yes, Takao could be annoying at times, and yes, his big-headedness was far from a desirable quality, but he was just so _sweet_. He was utterly dedicated to his friends. He was tenacious, hard working (when he wanted to be), persistent, warm-hearted and he was just so _honest_.

That was far more than Rei could say for himself. His mouth twisted into a wan smile. Takao really did deserve better. His boyfriend was attracted to his most bitter rival, and while that was nothing new, his boyfriend was now going too far and letting his most bitter rival initiate drawn out kissing sessions with him. It just wasn't fair on him and it was revealing a side of Rei that Rei was beginning to hate. Rei had never really been selfish. Every time he had decided to do something for himself, he had always been made to feel that he had done something terrible and because of that, he always ended up regretting his decisions. Before, though, when he had done these things for himself, despite the hurt it seemed to inevitably cause, it had always made him a better person, but now…

Rei was letting himself become a worse person. He had tried so hard to avoid being selfish and hurting yet more people, yet now he was _indulging_ in what seemed to be something he could not resist. What made it worse was that Kai was only pushing him into heated kisses just to prove a point- one Rei was loath to admit was a good one. The simple fact of the matter was that every time Rei let Kai kiss him and every time he responded, he was falling more and more into a person he didn't like. Why he couldn't resist Kai's kisses was a mystery, but he knew what needed to be done.

The solution was simple. The best ones always were. Push Kai away. Say No. That was probably what Kai was looking for in him. If Rei could say no, he was serious about his relationship with Takao and Kai would be satisfied and they could go back to being friends.

It was worth a shot, Rei considered, and it was what Takao deserved. He _would_ be a good boyfriend to Takao. Even if he had to force himself to.

* * *

"How _amazing_ was that film?" Max chattered excitedly. "I mean… KA-BOOM! That whole building GONE! It was cool when he pulled out those two guns and '_bam bam bam bam bam'_!" This he accompanied with hand gestures. 

"I'd love to be able to use a gun like he did." Takao added, grinning widely.

"Taka," Rei admonished. He pulled lightly on where his hand was still connected to Takao's "guns are awful. They cause so much pain and they're just vile, besides, you use your katana so well."

Takao's grin widened. "Well… yeah. I suppose I am good at that."

Rei rolled his eyes playfully. "So modest, Taka, but really. Swords require much more skill."

"Oh, so you think I'm _skilled_?" Takao responded, wiggling his eyebrows comically.

Rei laughed.

The team made their way through a quiet suburb of Tokyo, having not long gotten off the bus. If Rei was honest, the movie was largely lost on him. He remembered gunfire and some cliché sounding lines here and there, but most of the movie had been spent thinking. The day was pleasantly warm, though the breeze still had the slight chill of winter to it, and they all aimlessly wandered the streets enjoying the day.

"If you two keep up that flirting, I'm going to be sick."

Rei rolled his eyes again. Well… all but _one_ of them was enjoying the day.

"Psht. Well don't let _us_ stop you." Takao called back, waving his hand.

Kai snorted. "As if I would."

"Hey!" Max suddenly shouted, breaking up the impending argument. "Let's go to the park! It's such a nice day."

Takao openly considered this, and Rei found himself smiling at how adorably easy to read he was. "I think it's a good idea, what do you think, Rei?"

Rei nodded. "Sounds good." He agreed, still smiling.

Takao looked to the shortest member of the group. "Kyoujyu?"

Kyoujyu shrugged. "Sure thing. It'd be nice to watch the local blading talent."

Takao's attention turned to Kai. "And you, fearless leader?"

Kai scowled at the name, before looking away, "Whatever, I don't care." He replied, tone of voice giving away his boredom.

"It's settled then. Let's go." Takao announced.

They made their way towards the park that was a little ways from the dojo and quickly split up upon reaching it. Max padded off to watch the ducks, Kyoujyu moved off to watch local beybladers and Kai slunk away to… do whatever it was that Kai liked to do. Takao and Rei meanwhile, slowly wandered over towards a grassy knoll over-looking the lake Once there, Takao gave Rei's hand one last squeeze and sat down. Rei stood as he sat, the pair of them sharing a comfortable silence as they gazed out across the greens and blues and whites of the warm, spring day. After a while, Rei sighed and lowered himself until he was sitting besides the other teen, before shrugging and laying back onto the grass to stare up at the blue sky, dotted with thin white clouds. He felt Takao shift besides him, moving to lie as he was. Their silence stretched out as they basked in the sunlight, and Rei snuck a glance at his relaxed team mate. He had his eyes closed and was humming something softly to himself. The wind played with his askew deep blue hair and Rei couldn't help but think that he looked just so _cute_. For a moment, Rei could see the man that Takao would become, and he felt… proud.

He also felt a surge of protectiveness. It was times like that, which made Rei realise just how much Rei loved Takao, and Max, and even Kyoujyu and Hiromi. Rei _did_ love Takao. Very much. Maybe if he really, _really_ tried, he could grow to love Takao as more than a little brother... the way he was _supposed _to. Since he'd made his mind up about ignoring Kai, there was nothing standing in the way to stop him.

One of Takao's deep brown eyes slid to him. "What?" He asked softly.

Rei smiled and stretched. "Nothing." He responded. Seeing Takao smile a little bemusedly, Rei sighed and closed his eyes, feeling relaxed once again.

His sensitive ears caught the faint shifting of material and he became aware that Takao was sitting up. His eyes snapped open when he became acutely aware of the fact that someone was looming over him.

Takao stared down at him with a nervous expression.

"Takao?" Rei questioned, feeling anxious himself. He was surprised that he didn't see it coming, but very suddenly, a pair of lips cut him off. He froze, shocked by the move and unresponsive when the lips against his own began to push a little harder.

Rei stared with wide eyes at Takao's closed ones, mind whirring. Takao tried angling his head and opening his lips a little, and still, Rei remained motionless.

'_This feels wrong!_' his mind screamed at him and Rei couldn't help but jolt away very suddenly, breaking their connection.

Takao's eyes flew open, flashing with hurt. "Rei- I… I just…"

Rei stared back at him, confused and a little alarmed. "N-no, it's—"

"I'm so sorry. I didn't think! You just looked so beautiful laying there like that and I… I didn't think, I'm sorry."

"T-taka…" Rei started. He had to bite his lip at the shame on Takao's face. Why had he reacted like that? He was meant to be giving it a go, not acting like Takao's kiss was venomous! It was just… it had felt wrong. It had felt like he was doing something very wrong. Rei sighed forlornly. What was so different between Kai and Takao? Takao treated him a Hell of a lot better, and he actually felt for Rei and gave him choices. Kai didn't take things slow when _they_ kissed. Oh no. Kai just forced himself in and did what he wanted. And yet… Rei responded. Rei _liked_ it when Kai kissed him, but Kai was spiteful and demanding. Rei didn't like the idea of Takao kissing him, and yet _he_ was caring, sweet and moved however Rei wanted to.

Perhaps he was just a masochist.

Takao sighed and looked rather emotional suddenly. Rei felt guilt hit him yet again. He'd just spurned Takao's advance and _now_ he was daydreaming about Kai's kiss. Talk about rubbing salt into the wound. Damn him for being so confused!

Unable to think of anything else, Rei reached out and grabbed Takao's retreating form, pulling him into a hug. Takao yelped in surprise. "Rei!"

"Takao… Taka I- you just made me jump. I'm sorry, it's not that you did something wrong, it's just… just I don't know if I'm ready for that just yet. Please don't think that you did the wrong thing." Rei rushed out. Time… he just needed time. Then all thoughts of Kai would be gone and he could be happy with his boyfriend.

Takao pulled back a little, smiling at the elder teen. "I'll always wait for you, Rei."

"Oh Jesus Christ." A familiar voice muttered. Rei tilted his head back, to find Kai's upside- down face scowling at them. "This is a public park." Kai added.

"Oh, Kai stop being so jealous and… and... Just go and lie in a bush somewhere." Takao threw back, referring to one of the peculiar… quirks Kai had.

Kai sneered back at him. "Jealous? What would _I_ have to be jealous of? You can't even get Rei to kiss you back."

Rei gaped at Kai, realising that Kai was speaking literally. Rei knew that he wanted to add an '_unlike me.'_ Thankfully, he refrained, but Rei couldn't help but feel angry with Kai pushing it once again. He also felt a familiar protective surge when he saw the look of defeat on Takao's face.

He growled. He was so sick and tired of Kai dictating his life. "You seem sure of yourself, Kai." He hissed. '_I'll show him_.' Rei thought petulantly and did the first and only thing that came to mind- he reached up, caught Takao around the neck and bought their lips together.

This time it was Takao's turn to freeze in surprise. Rei closed his eyes tightly, concentrating on recalling Kai's kisses. Grabbing the back of Takao's head, Rei pulled him closer, putting more pressure onto his lips. He cocked his head slightly and opened up a little, hoping that Takao would take the hint.

He did. Opening his own mouth to touch his tongue to Rei's, the tension within the younger seemed to flood from him and he almost physically melted. Just like he had hoped he would, Rei noticed that Takao's naturally dominant nature became more apparent as he grew more comfortable with the kiss and began taking control of it.

Takao tasted and felt different to Kai. Rei didn't… not enjoy it, but it didn't feel- _he_ didn't feel the passion that he felt when Kai's lips were upon his. Again, it didn't feel _right_. It wasn't that he disliked it; it just didn't feel as it should have done. He sighed into Takao's mouth, disheartened.

Kai and Takao, however must have taken the sigh to be a moan, because just after he released it, Takao pressed into the kiss with more fervour. His ears picked up the sound of Kai stomping off, and he had to refrain from smirking, as he felt no small amount of satisfaction. He knew that it was an unusually petty act for him, but it didn't stop it from feeling good. Once he was sure Kai was gone, Rei detached himself from Takao's mouth.

Takao stared at him with wide eyes and a heavy blush. "Whoa."

Rei suddenly felt awkward, as the awareness that he had just used Takao for his own means struck him. He felt ashamed of himself, convinced more than ever that he was fast becoming someone that he didn't like. Perhaps though, he could get himself used to being with Takao like that, perhaps he could forget all about Kai and succeed with his initial plan of just focusing on developing his feelings for Takao. He forced himself to smile at his boyfriend.

"I thought you weren't ready." Takao said in wonder.

Rei shrugged. "Kai changed my mind." He said honestly.

Takao snickered. "Bless him. I think he really _is_ jealous. Maybe we could help find him someone to get that stick from up his ass. Do you reckon he likes girls or boys? I think Hiromi might like him…" He thought aloud.

Rei shifted uncomfortably. Takao took the hint and moved off of Rei's body, allowing him to sit up. Takao looked at him expectantly, awaiting his answer.

Rei chewed on his lip. "I don't know, Taka." Again, another truthful answer- he really _didn't_ know. Kai seemed happy to kiss him, but did that mean that he was gay? Bisexual? Or even worse- was he so obsessed with the team that he was just straight with a point to make? "I don't think he'd work with Hiromi though." He added.

Takao stared at the clouds, deep in thought. "To be honest, I don't think he'd work with _anyone_."

Rei felt a pang of hurt, but said nothing.

* * *

_Rei trembled, face hot with blushing cheeks. He couldn't help but squirm as warm breath tickled the skin of his neck and ear._

_He moaned. He was being pinned down, held secure by strong hands wrapped around his wrists- hands he knew he couldn't fight against, even if he wanted to._ _He couldn't take this much longer. He needed. He desired. Never before had he felt such emotions, raging in a turmoil that twisted his insides. And yet it was bliss. The heat and the power of the other body overwhelmed him, but that was- he was sure now- exactly what he wanted._

_A wicked smirk stretched across lips he so desperately craved. "What is it that you want, Rei?" The voice was a husky purr that made his heart flutter._

"_I… I… you." Rei stuttered, tongue seemingly unable to form words._

"_You've got me, but what do you want _from_ me?" Was the response. Rei shuddered as those delicious lips came nearer, ghosting across the sensitive shell of his elfin-like ear._

_His deep yellow eyes fluttered as that scathing tongue left teasing touches upon delicate skin. "Touch me. Kiss me. Please." He urged._

_A shift, and then those terrible, devious lips were touched to his, so lightly, he almost couldn't feel it. "All you ever have to do is ask." And then he was penetrated. That scalding tongue pushing into him- _inside_ him- moving over the heated skin of his mouth, touching and teasing his own tongue._

_He groaned deeply and his hands were released. Immediately, they found themselves reverently worshipping the silken skin of a broad, powerful back, slick with a thin layer of sweat. Slick and hot. Everything was so slick and hot!_

_He moaned, throwing his head back, panting as that evilly delightful mouth moved to the skin of his arched neck, suckling and nipping upon it, nuzzling and playfully kissing._

"_Ahh!" he whimpered softly, licking at his dry lips as hands slid slowly down his chest, leaving ghostly but lingering touches that trailed like fire down his skin. They reached his hips and paused. Rei moaned again, writhing in an attempt to shift the hands where he _needed_ them._

"_Patience, Rei." The voice chuckled dryly._

"_But I need you." Rei whispered, voice soft and pleading._

"_I know."_

_The hands moved lower._

_Rei gasped out a single name._

Darkness. Rei blinked, bewildered.

"Rei?" Rei blinked again. "Rei?"

"Eeh?" He uttered intelligently.

Kai got out of bed and moved to sit on the edge of Rei's bed. "Are you all right? I heard you calling my name."

Rei swallowed, dream still prominent in his mind and Kai's close proximity doing nothing to help. He felt the familiar stirrings of a blush rise to his cheeks. "Yeah, I'm fine." He whispered. Rei cast a quick glance at the clock. _03:07_

"You sure? You were tossing and turning and you sounded a bit distressed. Did you have a nightmare?" Kai's voice was soft and almost… caring. As if the mood he had been in all night since the park incident had lifted.

Rei felt a familiar pang, the one of regret for their lost friendship. It seemed almost as if this night were three months back when they had been best friends. He took a deep breath. "No, not a nightmare. Don't worry, Kai."

Kai regarded him in the dim light, eyes narrowing, just before a smirk curved across his lips. "I see."

Not _that_ again. "See what?" Rei demanded softly.

Rei wished that he hadn't asked when he suddenly found Kai leaning over him, hands supporting him either side of Rei's shoulders. The sudden closing of space caused Rei to fall back. Kai's smirk widened as he looked down at the smaller boy. "Was it one of _those_ dreams, Rei-ki?" He husked.

Rei's eyes widened, knowing exactly what Kai was referring to. And what was with the damned '_Rei-ki'_ again? "N-No!" He responded defensively.

Kai leaned in closer. "Oooh, I think it _was,_ Rei-ki." He was close now, hot breath falling across Rei's trembling lips. "You seem awfully…_excited_." The way Kai whispered that word made Rei shiver and swallow harshly. "The irony is, that despite the show in the park with your dear _boyfriend_ earlier… it's _my_ name you whisper at night. Isn't that _interesting_?" Just like in his dream, Kai's mouth had moved to his ear, whispering softly into the sensitive shell. Rei's eyes fluttered shut as Kai began pressing small, soft kisses to the column of his neck. He couldn't fight it. He didn't _want_ to.

'_Weak!_' His mind suddenly hissed at him. '_Disgusting cheat!'_

Rei's eyes snapped open and, barely thinking, he gathered his strength, placed his hands upon Kai's chest and shoved. Not expecting it, Kai fell backwards with a short, surprised noise.

Rei didn't pause to see if he was okay. He was too busy dashing from the room.

* * *

Phew. Oh dear xD; 

Nothing much happened that after noon after Takao and Rei's kiss, but, I'll skim over that next chapter.

/stretch/

Wow…. Done in a day. I'm so proud xD;

Oh! Random, but thank youuuuu Sarawife for putting up with me last night and doing so much scanning ; . ;!

Random j has been exterminated.


	5. Reconciliation

Notes: Rei chewing his lip is a purposeful thing. I just wanted him to have a quirky little habit.

This one will move quite **fast**, since the story's beginning to kick in now. I'm using speed to convey the overall whirlwind quality of this affair, so I hope no one thinks that I'm just rushing through 3;

I found it quite hard to write this one for some reason. o.o Gah! And it went past my 4,000 word aim.

Dedicated to: My Eevee mastering wife, Ja and Meg for making my lip wibbly because of what she wrote on her profile page.

I say: As good as me? Love, you surpass me so many times over. xx

* * *

**R**ei shifted, trying to get comfortable. He frowned a little, just wanting to get some sleep. 

Finally sensing that Rei was hesitating, Takao drew away from his mouth. "Rei?"

Rei winced, looking guiltily up at the younger. "Yeah?"

"You're not in the mood?" Takao whispered.

Rei chewed on his lower lip. "Not… really." He said slowly.

Takao sighed and cuddled him closer. "It must have been some nightmare to get you so worked up, Rei." Takao said softly.

"Y-yeah." Rei responded.

Takao smiled and ran his hand down Rei's back, rubbing it softly, before he dipped it lower to shyly brush against Rei's behind. Rei reacted immediately by squirming away from Takao's hold. The younger looked hurt. "Sorry." He muttered defensively.

It was Rei's turn to sigh as he rolled onto his stomach, burying his face into his folded arms. "Look, Taka, I'm sorry I'm not in the mood to snuggle. I just want to get some sleep." Rei stated, voice heavy with tiredness.

"I… I just thought that you know… since we were sharing a bed and all we could… well, we could take your mind off of your nightmares… if you catch my drift." Takao suggested.

Rei most definitely _did_ catch his drift, and he didn't like it one bit. What _was_ it with people tonight? As if it wasn't enough to be half molested in his own bed the moment after he'd woken up, now his own _boyfriend_ wouldn't take the hint that Rei was tired, pissed off and not a little bit scared. He had left his own bed because he was worried that if he stayed in his own room, he would end up doing something he regretted- something that would definitely qualify as betrayal. And yet, despite the eroticism of his dream, or the excitement Kai's touches evoked, Rei definitely wasn't prepared to go past kissing. With _anybody_. Rei was only just adjusting to the fact that he was now kissing on an alarmingly regular basis. He was _not_ about to become a whore while he was at it.

Still he owed Takao an explanation and he gave it: "I'm not ready for anything like that." It was simple and it was the truth.

More importantly, Takao understood. "I'm sorry, Rei. I didn't mean to be pushy."

"It's all right, Taka. Do you mind if I get some sleep, then?" Rei asked, yawning as he did so.

"No, of course not." Takao sighed. He shifted until he too was comfortable and yawned. "'Night, Rei." He mumbled.

"Good night, Takao." Rei whispered back.

In typical Takao- fashion, the sound of soft snoring reached Rei's ears within minutes. Rei sighed and shifted onto his side.

Today had been a busy day. He had kissed Takao for one, something which the other boy was keen to repeat and while he didn't _not_ enjoy those kisses, Rei found himself… not keen to repeat it that often. The rest of the night after that had been uneventful. The team ate, watched TV, talked and gone to bed. Kai had been in an extremely unpleasant mood for most of the night. The problems had started when he had been anything _but_ unpleasant in the dream Rei had had once he had gone through his nightly ritual and settled down in bed.

His dreams of Kai had been far more than friendly, and to his horror, upon waking up from it very early in the morning, it had turned out that Kai had been awake. Not only that, Kai had _known_, and had seen fit to try and seduce Rei while in his own bed. Rei had completely panicked, worried about betraying Takao and frightened of what Kai had seemed to want from him and he had fled the room. Moments after that, he had found himself knocking on Takao's door, not knowing where else to go with eyes skittering around, as if nervous that Kai would materialise.

Takao had appeared, more than a little disgruntled at being awoken so early in the morning, but that had evaporated when he had seen that Rei was wide eyed and close to tears.

Rei had pleaded a nightmare, and Takao had guided him in. Of course, Rei's plan to curl up in a ball and never wake up was bought to a stuttering halt by one simple fact: Takao was in _love_ with him and he was in _his_ bed.

Thus, not a minute after Rei had gotten into his bed; Takao had been attached to his lips. Rei didn't… mind as such, but he would have rather have been partaking in his '_sleep until everything goes away_' plan. Rei's issue had come about when Takao had gotten a little… zealous. He had only pushed Rei onto his back and tried to put his hand up his shirt, but that had been plenty enough in Rei's books, and for the second time that night, he had pushed away an amorous advance.

What _was_ it with him lately? Was he unconsciously giving off pheromones by the truckload? Did he have some kind of neon light over his head indicating that he wished to be taken advantage of that he just wasn't aware of?

And seriously… _seriously_- what the HELL was with Kai?

Rei had done everything he could think of. He was so sure that if he had showed Kai that he was happy to kiss Takao, it would prove that he was willing to take their relationship seriously and Kai could stop being so concerned. And had that happened? No. Kai hadn't backed off, or commended Rei, not at all. Instead he had _provoked _him and before Rei had known it he had found himself pinned down in his own bed with Kai whispering in his ear in the way that made his head go fuzzy and his heart hammer in his chest.

Rei whimpered softly at the memory. If this kept up he was going to go mad, surely. He squirmed, trying to get comfortable in the small space, whispering almost silent prayers to his ancestors that tonight had really been Kai's final test for him before he drifted back into a fitful doze.

* * *

Though he had been nervous about coming face to face with Kai, the next morning when Rei left Takao in bed (the younger loved his sleep and Rei wasn't about to begrudge him that, _especially _after waking him up at three in the morning) and had snuck back into his room, he found that there was no sign of Kai. Still, that didn't stop him from getting ready as fast as he possibly could and all but running from the room when he had done. Very cautiously, he had made his way downstairs and padded into the kitchen. 

He froze in place when he found Kai sitting at the kitchen table, mug of coffee and morning paper clasped in his hands. Rei was torn between being brave and walking in as if nothing had happened, and reversing as quietly as he could. Kai made his decision for him.

"I know you're there." He sighed.

Rei swallowed down his anxiety and almost tip toed into the kitchen. A silence that was far from comfortable settled upon the two. Rei nervously tapped his fingers against the counter, silently urging the kettle to boil. As soon as his tea had been poured and stirred, he simply stood there, chewing his lip over what to do.

"If you keep biting your lip, you'll have nothing left." Rei visibly started at that, almost spilling tea on his hand. Wide eyes jolted upwards, causing yellow to clash with red. To Rei's further surprise Kai looked almost… meek. No. That wasn't right. More… he looked unsure. For a moment, Rei couldn't help but forget all of the hurt and the turmoil and the confusion his captain had caused him. "It was… a joke." Kai muttered looking back at his paper.

The atmosphere grew more awkward.

Rei continued to stand, shuffling from foot to foot as he took nervous sips of his herbal tea. The sound of Kai suddenly setting his paper down made Rei nearly leap out of his skin yet again. Rei felt confusion swamp over him as Kai refused to even look at him, where he had been expecting a smirk and a rude comment. In stead all he got was a softly spoken; "I'm going to train alone today. You and Kyoujyu can watch over the training if you'd like."

And then he swept from the room. Rei could only blink after him, utterly stunned.

Again he had to ask himself: _What the HELL was with Kai?_

He sighed heavily, unsure of how much more of this mental torture he could take, and set about making some breakfast for the others.

Kyoujyu came walking in just as he finished the rice off, yawning and looking ruffled. Rei couldn't help but smile. "Morning, Kyoujyu. Kai decided to let you set team training today." He informed as the smallest member of their team sat down at the table.

"Hmmm? Oh!" Another yawn, "Really? Why?" He blinked, as a bowl full of rice was set before him. "And good morning by the way. Thank you."

Rei chuckled at the poor, sleepy lad. "I don't know, he said that he just wanted to train alone."

Kyoujyu picked up his chopsticks, pausing as he stared thoughtfully at the wall. "That's not unusual I suppose, he just hasn't… done it for a while."

Rei sighed. "Yeah. I know." He would do, because Kai had stopped training alone to train with _him_, and since the breakdown of their friendship, Kai had resumed training with the rest of the team. Rei thought that he should have felt satisfaction or at least relief at the fact that Kai had resumed his old attitude of distancing himself from the team. Instead… he was worried.

As the day wore on and Takao and Max awoke and ate their breakfast, they headed outside into the courtyard to train a little, following the orders that Kyoujyu barked out. Rei thought that he'd be distracted, or pleased that Kai wasn't breathing down his neck or boring into him with those damned eyes and yet…

And yet Rei missed it. It was so subtle he almost didn't notice it, but as his irritable mood increased, it seemed to him to be the only logical explanation- Logical, of course, in the loosest sense of the word.

And so, three hours, sixteen minutes and forty four seconds after Kai had told him about training, Rei finally lost the battle.

"Sorry guys. I need to have a word with Kai about this idea I've had." He said suddenly, all ready tucking his blade into his sash.

Kyoujyu looked mildly offended. "You could always ask me."

Rei shook his head. "Sorry, Kyou, but I just want to talk it over with him. He has the most experience of all of us, after all."

Kyoujyu looked ready to argue, before shrugging it off, settling for looking annoyed. Rei smiled at the display, before he moved off and left the group and the dojo behind.

Where would Kai go? Rei considered this. If anyone knew, it would be him, after all, before their best-friendship had degenerated, Rei had known Kai better than everyone else. Kai was being avoidant, so he would probably go somewhere away from other people. That ruled the park out. After considering it some more, Rei decided on either the little cove where they did their beach training, or in the wooded area around the dojo. Sure enough, as Rei padded in the general direction of the beach, his sensitive ears caught a faint metallic 'clank'.

He couldn't help but smile at Kai's predictability and set off towards the sound, moving a moderate way into the small wood, until the noise was clear and consistent.

Finally, he caught sight of the white of an ever-present scarf, and sure enough, his eyes landed upon the figure of his team captain- one, Kai Hiwatari.

He was training in a glade, single arm outstretched as he weaved his blue dranzer blade between young saplings that circled the small clearing. Rei couldn't help but pause and simply watch him silently. In that quiet moment, as Kai's scarf fluttered gently on the spring breeze, and the sun cast soft rays that were dappled by tree leaves emphasising Kai's pale skin and making him almost glow, Rei saw what so many saw in the isolated blader. Surrounded by deep greens, Kai stood, almost timeless. Fresh and alive much like the perfect spring day, with eyes that glittered like clear rubies on a smooth, peaceful face unlined by a neutral expression, if not just a little touched by a quiet melancholy.

Kai was… handsome. Rei couldn't –_wouldn't- _deny it. He wasn't _cute_, or _hot, _or _buff, _or any of the million and one different words to describe ascetically pleasing people. He was just… classically handsome. He had a charm of his own that was almost impossible to detect, but still very much there. He was attractive in an extremely masculine way, and yet he had subconscious traits that were almost… feminine, but this only made him whole. It made him _Kai_, and as he stood solemnly in that little dell, apart from the world and all of its troubles, Kai was more himself than Rei had ever seen him.

It struck Rei then just _why_ Kai had been his first crush, perhaps even _why_ he'd _let_ Kai be his first kiss.

For that reason, he found the courage to step forwards.

Kai whirled around. "Who-!" He snapped, jumping before he realised the identity of his visitor. "… Rei? What are you _doing_?" He admonished, relaxing again.

Rei stepped forwards, reaching the lighter area of the clearing, though he still maintained a short distance from Kai. "Sorry, Kai. I didn't mean to be so quiet, you just looked like you were concentrating."

"No I meant…" Kai sighed. "What are you doing _here_?"

Rei blinked, surprised at how… plaintive Kai had sounded. "I came to see how you were." He said truthfully.

Kai nodded. "Right. Well, I'm fine, so you can go now." He stated, turning his back on Rei.

Rei's mouth popped open, completely shocked by Kai's dismissal. "Kai!" He admonished. "What have I done _now_? Last night–"

"Last night… we both learned something, Rei. Let's just leave it at that." Kai said quietly.

Rei cocked his head to one side, looking very much like a perplexed cat. "We learned something?"

"Yes." Kai said simply.

"…What was it we were supposed to learn?" Rei questioned, confusion evident in his voice and upon his features.

Kai turned to him, and Rei was surprised to see that Kai looked confused himself. "Look, Rei. I misinterpreted the situation last night, okay? I admit, I was wrong, I didn't know that you'd be so horrified by what I did, because you led me to believe that it might have been welcomed. Evidently not. I apologise for any harm done, and I'll avoid coming near you from now on."

Rei's shock made him speechless. Not only did Kai sound vaguely… hurt, but also he was apologising. It was rather formal, but it was an apology nonetheless, and yet Rei felt no satisfaction. Instead he felt… guilty. Which, of course was absolutely ludicrous, because he had pushed Kai away for good reason! Still though… "Kai, that's not what I want! Look, the only reason I pushed you away is because I didn't want to hurt Takao."

"You were happy to run to his bed." Kai snorted.

"Because I was _frightened_."

Kai looked mildly offended. "Of me?"

"No, Kai." Rei replied, shaking his head slowly. "Not of you."

"Of _what_ then, Rei?" Kai said in an exasperated tone. "Because this is all _far_ too complicated for me."

Rei couldn't help but sigh and run a hand tiredly through his hair. "Of myself." Rei said quietly. Kai had to shuffle closer in order to hear what he was saying. "I… I'm with Takao, Kai. You have to understand that, and I don't want to hurt him, but last night, it was like I was paralysed. The way you touch me and kiss me it makes me… it makes me forget myself. And I'm not going to hurt Takao, or let you hurt me, just to prove your point."

Kai frowned. "What point?" He asked, voice also hushed.

"That… that I'm not right for Takao. I know that I keep letting you kiss me, and I know that that makes me weak and I _know _that you only want what's best for the team, but I'm _trying_, Kai. I'm _really_ trying to make a go of it with Takao. I owe him that much, so I _had_ to push you away last night. I had to pass your test, but now I think that I did something wrong." Rei replied.

Kai's frown deepened. "You think that I keep coming onto you because I'm _testing_ the strength of yours and Takao's relationship?" When he received a nod, his eyes widened. "Rei… you're an idiot. I couldn't care _less_ about your _relationship_."

Rei ignored the fact that the last word had been heavily laden with sarcasm, since he had more pressing issues at hand. "What? Then… _why_? I thought you were trying to prove a point!"

Kai looked incredulous. "_Why?_ Rei… I'm…" Kai had the grace to look a little embarrassed. "I _am _human you know, and I'm a _guy_ and… and you're _very_ attractive. It's simple. I'm… well I'm attracted to you, and in seeing that you were willing to go out with Takao I thought that maybe you wouldn't spurn my advances after all." He sighed. "Look, this is all very awkward, what I'm trying to say is—"

"You like me?" Rei questioned softly.

Kai stared at him a moment, before he looked away. "I suppose so."

"So I hurt your feelings when I pushed you away?" Kai said nothing. The silence spoke volumes and Rei couldn't help but smile. "Kai… are you jealous of Takao and I?"

"No." Kai responded, sounding just a little bit sullen. "I don't care, I just… you just don't suit him, I mean—" Further rambling was cut off when lips were touched to his. Ruby eyes widened in surprise, and thick silence fell upon the clearing. And then, very slowly and very softly, Kai responded with a sweet innocence that Rei had not known he was capable of. In a way that Rei had never experienced before, his heart fluttered within his chest, thudding and twitching in excitement.

Rei withdrew first from the chaste kiss. "I wouldn't mind if you were jealous you know, Kai. I… I like you too, though I think that's kind of obvious." A light blush dusted his cheeks at that. "Do you think… do you suppose that, we could maybe… give it a go?" He asked hopefully, cheeks growing rosier. With Takao, their relationship was good, but with Kai, he knew it could be great. Unlike with Takao, he found himself craving Kai. On top of that, Kai knew him better than any other. Rei could have what he had wanted all along- his first crush and his best friend all rolled into one. Given time, they could even fall in love, and have the kind of relationship he had always, _always_ dreamed of. He flexed his fingertips in nervous excitement.

And yet, Kai just remained still, looking blank though Rei knew his thoughts were whirring. He seemed to reach a decision. "Rei… I can't give you a relationship."

And Rei's heart sank. "I… but…" He tried uselessly.

"It wouldn't be fair on you, or me. I'm not comfortable with the idea and… you're my _friend,_ Rei. I just happen to be attracted to you. That's not a basis for a relationship. Besides, you and I both know, I'd just be no good in a relationship."

Rei began chewing on his lip once more, trying to fight back the unexpectedly strong wave of disappointment. "Kai tell me… Would you…" Rei's cheeks burned, "would you sleep with me?"

Kai stared at him, expression guarded. "If you were willing, yes."

"But you… you couldn't love me?" He asked, voice so soft Kai almost couldn't hear.

"I know you, Rei and I know what you want. I can't give you what Takao can, in that regard. I just don't work that way."

Rei nodded, feeling defeated for some peculiar reason. "Okay. I suppose I'll see you later then." He sighed finally, turning around to begin the trudge back to the dojo, before he could leave the dell behind though, Kai's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Remember, Rei. I may not be able to give you what Takao can, but I _can_ give you what he can't. You can't keep on living in a passionless relationship." He warned.

Rei looked back at him, uncertainty dancing in yellow eyes. "It's better than having no relationship at all."

"Is it?" Kai said simply. The question was soft, but it floated on the breeze, hanging between them like an invisible barrier. Rei found himself wanting for Kai to breach it, but yet, Kai simply stood, waiting for an answer.

Rei found that he had none.

Unable to withstand the silence much longer, Rei sighed and walked away.

* * *

Days passed, and before Rei had known it, a week had gone by from that decisive meeting. He lost the battle that he had not even been willing to fight, and despite his better judgement, he fell into being selfish and satisfying his needs above others for the first time in his life. 

It would lead to heartbreak, pain, perhaps even the destruction of the BBA, but he could no longer resist Kai's magnetic pull on him. Over that following week, he had gone to Kai, and Kai had come to him, and sometimes by mutual understanding, they had come to each other. Searing kisses and shy, but hasty touches had taken place in deserted hallways and a darkened bedroom. Kisses good night were lasting and left both craving so much more. And all the while, afternoons were spent, cuddled in the arms of Takao, smiling and laughing with the younger one. Feeling at ease and basking in being loved and protected.

And Rei was, for the first time, being greedy. In Kai he found the desire and the longing that he hungered for, and in Takao, he found the love and the adoration that he had craved throughout his lonely life. He knew it was _so, so_ wrong. It went against his morals, it went against who he _was_… or, at least who he _thought_ he had been. He was playing a stupid game with all of their emotions, but… but he couldn't stop himself. He couldn't find what he needed in either of them, but from both of them he'd found what he was pining for. Love and passion.

He refused to call what he and Kai shared an affair. Affairs were dirty and wicked, and what he had with Kai was anything but. Could it even _be_ classed as an affair? Despite their impassioned embraces, their clinches had never gone beyond that line, most often defined by the waistband of a pair of simple black trousers.

It was all so perfect, that Rei couldn't see _how_ it was wrong. The guilt that plagued him was near constant, because he did care about Takao, very, very much, but when Kai's lips were on his… everything seemed so far away.

Of course, Rei was a pragmatic being, if a romantic at heart. It was inevitable, that it would never last. It was the sad certainty of affairs- someone _always_ got hurt.

* * *

Next chapter: Things go from bad to worse, to better. Rei makes a realisation and possibly the best decision, or worst mistake of his life. 


	6. Passion

Alas, if eff eff dot net were nice, this fic would be an NC-17. What does THAT say? Asides from the fact that I am a pervert who has no qualms with writing lemon, of course.

That said, if the idea of male-male sex (just references of course) frightens you, (what the hell are you doing reading one of _my_ stories? Oo) Then I suggest that you don't read any more, because one relationship is about to get a little deeper. This will shift onto a more sexual aspect, which in relationships, usually happens to be the natural progression.

I'm sorry if anyone finds it cliché, but... well... ARE teenage boys.

The point of this chapter is **Passion**, fighting, actions... everything is driven by fiery passion Everything changes again for Rei, whether it is for better or for worse remains to be seen. It is definite that the next two chapters will focus on Kai and Rei.

And just to reiterate- I DO like TakaRei, but KaiRei is my favourite, so bear in mind that I am moving much more towards their relationships now. Also know that I absolutely refuse to bash any characters and/ or pairings in this. I am so, very beyond that now.

* * *

Birdsong greeted him as sleep faded away; leaving him blinking big yellow eyes in the tired confusion that accompanied waking up. Slowly, thought came to him and he arched his back, yawning as he did so delighting in the feel of muscles, sleep-worn and tired stretching and uncoiling after a night of inactivity. With a contented sigh, he slid back down and glanced towards the window. It looked like it was gearing up to be another fine Japanese spring day. Feeling rather refreshed, Rei smiled and slid out of bed, pausing as deep, slow breathing separated itself from the chirps and twitters of the dawn chorus. He couldn't help but 'awww' softly as he spied a tuft of wild silvery hair poking up from beneath a simple, white quilt. He continued to watch for a moment, strangely comforted by steady rise and fall of the lump wrapped up in duvets. With a soft chuckle, Rei finally turned away from the sleeping teen and glanced at the clock.

_07:22_. Kai wouldn't be up for at least another half an hour yet, since they had both settled back into their usual sleeping patterns. Rei thought that it was probably because everything had finally settled. The situation was far from ideal, but it was the best, given what they had to work with.

Rei took a deep breath to rid the last remnants of sleep before moving over towards the door leading to their en-suite. With them being the eldest, they had gotten the best room in the dojo, seeing as Kinomiya-Jii-San preferred to sleep on a futon in the training hall for some bizarre reason. Rei couldn't help but be extremely grateful, since he disliked anyone really seeing him with his hair down. On that note, Rei impulsively reached behind his head to the clip that rested against the base of his skull, nimbly undoing it and the bind it held in place and setting his locks free to tumble across his back and shoulders. He threw the material onto his bed and ruffled his hair, finally satisfied and stepped into the bathroom, locking the door behind him.

It was about half an hour later when Rei stepped dripping wet out of the shower. He dried himself, and slipped on a fresh pair of underwear, before donning a robe and exiting, rubbing the towel through his hair.

"Hair day?" A voice, rich and smooth spoke up, bringing him back into awareness.

He smiled at the sight of Kai sitting up in bed, and nodded, moving over to his own bed. "Yeah. I just felt like it this morning for some reason."

Kai nodded, smirking as he twisted on his bed until his legs were dangling over the side and he was facing Rei. "You're a masochist." He muttered, eyeing the length of Rei's locks.

Rei laughed, shifting as he did so. "I must be."

Kai smirked back and went for his turn in the shower.

It was so easy now. Things were like how they had been before it had all gone wrong between them. The same easy smiles and open talks. It made Rei feel so much more content.

He was still running the brush through his hair as the door reopened. He went to turn around, but frowned when his comb caught on a rather persistent knot. The next thing he knew, a hand was working its way into his hair, fingertips brushing at his neck. And then they worked at gently tipping his head backwards.

He couldn't help but shiver as lips pressed softly to the skin of his throat. Kai pulled back, and Rei managed to notice Kai's smile with a hint of mischief playing in molten eyes, despite being upside down to him. He smiled back, comb stilling in his hair as warm, slightly damp lips pressed to his applying firm pressure. However, their lip's embrace remained innocent enough and a few moments later, Kai pulled back a few centimetres with a slight smirk.

"What was that for?" Rei smiled, leaning back and propping his foot up on the mattress.

Kai chuckled. "I didn't say good morning yet." He went to pull away entirely, but paused as his eyes caught something. His expression changed, though, being upside-down, Rei could not tell to what.

After a few seconds ticked by, Kai's stare began to unnerve Rei. "Kai? What's the matter?" He enquired. Kai looked indecisive for a moment before he backed off rather suddenly. "Kai?" He asked again in surprise.

"Get some clothes on." Kai said quietly in an unusually husky voice and he hastily exited the room, leaving a very surprised Rei sitting upon the bed.

Despite the low level of his voice, Rei had still caught the strain in it. This left him perplexed and he recalled Kai's words. It was a glance in the mirror that explained all. Silky white robe, hanging open enough to display an indecent amount of a slim chest and stomach by a slack cord; and a leg, propped up enough to have allowed the material to slide down to reveal a little _too_ much thigh.

Rei's resulting blush was almost enough to light up the room.

* * *

Rei glanced at the clock, noticing with a sigh that it was time to get dinner started, since it was his turn to cook. He shifted, drawing Takao's arms from around him and sitting up from where his head was nestled upon his chest. 

"You okay, Rei?" Takao asked, straightening in his seat.

Rei smiled fondly at him. "I've just got to make a start on dinner."

As expected, Takao beamed. "It's _your_ turn? _Fantastic_! You always make the _best_ meals!" He said enthusiastically.

Rei's own smile grew, feeling warmed by the other boys gratitude. He'd never get tired of being appreciated, Rei decided. "Thank you, Taka. I'm glad that you think so."

"Damn right I do." The younger grinned.

Rei stood up, smiling happily and shaking his head. Upon reaching the kitchen, he rummaged through the fridge, and gathered the ingredients to make a stew, before he moved over to the sink to wash his hands. And then he began the labourous task of cutting up the vegetables.

He had just begun flouring the beef when he felt himself pulled back against chest broader than his own. He smiled. "Hey Takao."

The body behind him stiffened. "_Takao_?"

Rei had to smirk at the offence in that deep voice. "Oh, it's _you_."

A tug on his hair had him looking up into incredulous red eyes. It was only when Kai saw the laughter dancing in Rei's own eyes that he relaxed. "You're a little sod." He huffed, grip tightening.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist." Rei beamed, before attempting to squirm away. "Kai. Let go."

Kai only smirked and held him closer, before dropping his head to kiss the side of Rei's jaw, which only made Rei struggle more. His lips moved down to press against the skin of Rei's neck, using his knowledge of the sensitivity of Rei's neck ruthlessly as he nuzzled the pale column of flesh. Rei stilled, paralysed as usual as the nips, suckles and open-mouthed kisses reigned down upon his neck, sending tingles through him. He shivered. "Kai, stop." His whisper carried less sincerity once he sighed breathily. "Stop." He tried again.

One of Kai's hands dropped down to massage the swell of his hip, as the other splayed across Rei's chest, resting over his wildly beating heart. "Why?" He said simply, lips brushing against Rei's neck as he spoke.

"Because anyone could walk in." He grunted, starting to get a little desperate.

Kai bit lightly at the juncture of neck and shoulder, as his hand dropped to brush against the top of Rei's thigh. "Don't care." He whispered, kissing along Rei's jaw until he reached his lips, before kissing him with a passion that surprised Rei. Rei knew it was risky, but he couldn't help but submit to the raw desire that kiss held. And then, without warning, Kai's hand had slipped around him to cup at his crotch, reverently squeezing.

Rei broke away with a shocked squeak, struggling to get out of Kai's hold. Kai released him silently, upon seeing his distress. "What the _Hell_ do you think you're _doing_?" Rei hissed as he spun around, eyes wide and a little frightened, and cheeks burning.

Kai stared back with an unwavering gaze. "Since this morning, I haven't been able to get the image of you out of my mind." He said, as if that explained everything.

"That wasn't _my_ fault!" Rei replied in a harsh whisper. "And that gives you no _right_! You had no _right_! That wasn't _fair_!"

Kai continued to watch Rei expressionless. And then he sighed, closing his eyes. "Look, I didn't mean to scare you. I wasn't exactly thinking, but I can't help it."

"Can't _help_ it?" Rei asked incredulously.

"I want you." Kai said, so softly that Rei almost did not hear him.

Rei couldn't help but gawp. "You… you… what?" He responded, nervousness making his fingers twitch.

"I _want_ you, Rei." Kai said again, more firmly than before.

It was those very words that made Rei realise that they had gone too far. This stupid game he was playing was becoming far too dangerous and people were about to get very, very hurt. He'd gotten carried away in a fantasy and the truth was he was rushing recklessly too far, and too fast. It was time to end it. He had to.

"Get out." Rei said very quietly.

"…_what?_" Kai asked, surprise clear on his usually expressionless face.

"Get out of the kitchen, Kai. I… I need to make dinner." And with that, he turned his back on Kai and resumed preparing the meat.

It was only when he heard Kai walk away, that he relinquished his self-control and went about preparing their meal with shaking hands.

* * *

The night had come and gone. In order to set his plan to finish his dalliance with Kai in motion, Rei had once again taken to Takao's bed. Inevitably, Takao had tried his chances again, but seeing as Rei had had enough of being some kind of sex magnet for the day he feigned sleep. In truth though, Rei had again barely slept, recalling how things had once again changed between himself and Kai. 

It was one thing thinking that Kai might have been thinking of him in a sexual way, but knowing for _sure_ that he _did_ want that sort of thing from him scared Rei. Badly. He was new to this whole relationship thing. He was new to kissing and being held. And _now_ Kai had made it apparent that he wanted more than just that. He _wanted_ Rei. He has said as much and that had thrown Rei right out of his stable little bubble of contentment.

What had shaken him up the most though was that for just a moment, a tiny part of him had wanted it. He had _wanted_ those hands on him. He had felt wanton, if only for a second before sense had kicked in. And still now…

He couldn't stop thinking of it.

_Why_ did Kai have such an affect on him?

With a sigh, he dragged himself up out of bed, though he paused before he walked away. Gently, he reached out and brushed stray blue locks away from where they covered Takao's face. Innocent. He looked so innocent. Rei felt a powerful wave of protectiveness run through him as he gazed upon Takao's sleeping expression. He was so naïve and, despite his eagerness to pursue the physical aspect of their relationship, Rei couldn't help but look upon him as a child. A wan smile touched his lips as he withdrew his hand. It was good that he was stopping whatever he had with Kai. It really wasn't fair on Takao.

He didn't deserve it.

As was becoming the usual, Rei crept back into his room, moving silently to avoid waking Kai up. He quickly dressed, and ran the brush through his hair as fast as possible, before stalking over to the bathroom and washing his face and brushing his teeth. Rei held his breath as he stepped back into their bedroom, but released it once he saw that Kai was still sound asleep. He pocketed Driger and grabbed a hair tie before slipping from the room and heading towards the kitchen, tying his hair back loosely.

Once there, he began the usual ritual of making breakfast, deciding to make rice again that morning. He busied himself with fetching the bowls, rice and plugging in the rice cooker. He turned on the tap, filled it up and turned it on before waiting, idly playing with a shamoji and staring at the wall as he leaned on the counter.

He jumped when strong arms wrapped around him, drawing him into a loose embrace. He tensed. "Where were you last night and this morning? I missed my 'good morning'." Kai whispered, lips near his ear and breath sending warm breezes over the sensitive skin.

"Let go of me." Rei whispered.

Kai tensed himself, in surprise. "Excuse me?" He sounded as if he had not heard Rei correctly. They both knew that he had.

"I said; 'let go of me', Kai." Rather mechanically, Rei reached down and pulled Kai's hands from around him, allowing him to step out from Kai's hold.

Kai's hands hovered in midair for a moment, as he suddenly stood, unsure of what to do. "Is this… is this because I grabbed you, yesterday?" He asked perplexed.

Rei suddenly found the shamoji very interesting again. And then, gripping it tightly, he let out a long sigh. "It has to end, Kai. This thing… whatever it is. It's done. _We're_ done." He was proud when his voice didn't waver.

Kai stared at him in disbelief. "Look, if you're worried about Kinomiya, we'll be careful, you know that."

"Careful?" It was Rei's turn to sound incredulous. "Kai, you were… _groping _me in the _kitchen_. _How_ is that careful?"

"That is what this is all about isn't it? Because I _touched _you." Kai stated.

"You had no right to do that, Kai." Rei whispered harshly.

"So you keep telling me, Rei-_ki_." Kai replied, sounding rather dismissive.

Rei hissed. "This isn't a _game_, Kai. We enjoyed one another's company, but we should cut our losses and stop this before we end up hurting people." He argued.

"I don't care if Kinomiya finds out. It's his own fault for being so stupid to notice that you're not even attracted to him."

His head snapped to the side from the force of the sudden slap. "Don't you _dare_ talk about him that way. He is your team-mate and friend and like it or not, he is my _boyfriend_." Rei spat, voice dripping with venom.

Kai growled, sounding almost feral as his hand curled into a fist. "You have a funny way of showing it." He snapped in a tone of voice that near held the power to physically cut.

Rei however was undeterred. "At least I'm not too much of a coward to admit that I'm doing something wrong." Kai snarled at that. "Angry at the truth, Kai? Would you feel better if you hit me? Would it make you feel better about yourself?" Rei's voice held a challenge and the smaller teen tensed up, readying himself in case Kai took him up on his offer.

Instead, Kai sprang forwards, moving like lightning to force Rei up against the counter. Rei resisted wincing at the impact and glared heatedly into an equally enraged and spiteful glower. Kai's eyes narrowed to mere slits, eyes turning to dark mahogany as he fought to regain his temper. And then, he stepped back, feigning indifference. "You're not worth my time."

Rei gave him a baleful stare. "I wish you'd known that from the start. Then you wouldn't have started this mess."

Kai chuckled, though it was utterly devoid of humour. "Oh don't worry. I learn from my _mistakes_. See you around, Rei. I hope you have a happy relationship with Takao, you know, if you can ever actually get it up for him." He mocked as he walked away.

"Yeah, well you weren't even _close_, Kai!" Rei yelled.

Kai paused and stared at him with contempt. "Just keep acting the martyr, Rei. Maybe you'll even convince yourself that it's true. Just remember, I never forced anything on you. You did this all willingly, _I've_ betrayed _no one_, but if you want to use me to cover up your own insecurities, then fine go right ahead. Just don't expect anything from _me_ in return."

"I don't _want anything _from you ever again!" Rei shouted even as the door slammed closed.

And then, as the air stilled once more, Rei had to resist the utterly insane, but almost overwhelming urge to burst into tears.

Shaking rather badly, he occupied himself with staring at the rice cooker. The next time the door opened, it was Takao's voice that greeted him. "What on _earth_ was all the yelling about?"

Rei just carried on gazing at the rice cooker.

* * *

Tensions within the house rose to levels none had experienced before, clawing at them like a childhood monster, intangible, but as thick and poisonous as smog. It was choking, though they pretended not to notice the way that Kai and Rei utterly ignored one another. Even Takao had held his tongue on the matter, knowing better than to get involved even _if_ his boyfriend was involved. 

He did, however, develop a plan three days later that he hoped would help clear the air and help Kai and Rei make up over whatever they had so spectacularly fallen out over. Little did he know that his plan would be effective… only it would be in a way he most definitely would not have ever anticipated.

Blissfully unaware, Takao slammed the phone down, grin stretching across his face. He ran through his home, and into the courtyard where his friends –minus Kai- were currently training.

"Hey guys! Guess _what?_" He announced, breaking through their discussion over Driger's speed.

Max beamed back, looking excited all ready. "What, Takao? It's a surprise for us, ne? Tell! Tell!" He chattered, half using English and half using Japanese as he typically did.

Takao's grin grew wider still. "My big brother is holding his house warming party tonight and we're all invited!"

Max jumped up. "A party?"

"Yep." Takao gave him thumbs up. "He even said there'd be booze!"

"Alcohol, ne? How exciting!" Max cheered.

"Am I invited?" Hiromi asked, giving Takao a look that told him that she'd better have been.

Takao considered his brother's words. "Well, he said 'everyone', so I presume so." Hiromi brightened.

"Everyone's under the legal drinking age, though Takao." Kyoujyu stated, referring to Japan's legal drinking age of twenty.

Takao rolled his eyes. "It's a party. Armed police won't turn up."

"How will we get home?" Kyoujyu tried again. "Hitoshi lives on the other side of Tokyo and taking the train back at that time of night isn't a good idea."

"He said that we can stay over." Takao replied, waving his hand dismissively.

Max jumped up, pumping his fist into the air. "All right!" He shouted.

Takao stood quietly, proud to have his brother as he watched the others ramble to each other in excitement. Hiromi was murmuring to herself about what she was going to wear, and Rei was… Takao frowned and made his way over to where Rei was staring intently at Driger clasped in his hand. "Hey, Rei? Didn't you hear?"

"Hmm," Rei looked up, dazed. "Oh yeah. Party, right." His gaze dropped back down to Driger.

Takao's smile dropped a little, but he moved closer, speaking so that only Rei could hear. "You know, Hitoshi said that _we_ could take the double bed in his guestroom."

Rei bit back a sigh, wishing that Takao could at least try to be subtle sometimes. He had definitely misinterpreted the fact that Rei was now sleeping in his bed on a nightly basis, but fuelled by alcohol…

Rei almost grimaced. Instead, he offered a hopeful smile. "That sounds great, Takao. I hope I'm up to it later."

Takao's expression morphed into confusion. "Up to it?"

Rei faked a depressed sigh. "I've felt really bad all day. I think I've got a stomach bug, but I should be okay by this evening."

Takao pulled him into a hug. "I hope so!"

As it transpired, Rei's mysterious illness did not get better. If anything it got worse. By the time the team was ready to go, he was lying on the settee, an arm cast over his eyes. Max, Hiromi and Kyoujyu milled about by the front door, while Takao walked over and sat down on the edge of the couch.

He reached out and gently brushed his hand against Rei's arm. "Rei… how do you feel?"

"Not good." Rei muttered.

Takao sighed. "All right then. I'll stay here with you, and we'll watch a movie or something."

Rei's eyes widened and he struggled up. "No! No, Takao. This is your brother's house warming party. You need to go."

"But-"

"No buts." Rei broke in, looking stern. "Go! Have fun for me. I want you to enjoy yourself."

Takao let out a puff of air. "You sure?" A nod. "All right then, I'll be back later on tonight."

"No." Rei said again. "I'll see you tomorrow. I _told_ you; go and have fun. I can take care of myself. Some rest should do it." Takao looked ready to disagree, but Rei leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to his lips to distract him.

It worked. "All right then. Phone me if you need me, okay? I'm really sorry. Have a good night, okay?" Rei nodded again and Takao leaned back in, to place a slightly firmer kiss to Rei's lips before getting up and making to leave. "Love you." He said softly, walking away.

A chorus of 'bye's' was heard and then the door closed and the sound of chatter outside faded away as the group moved off. When Rei could no longer hear them, he sighed and sat up properly idly watching the television, only feeling slightly guilty for lying.

It was about ten minutes later when the sound of the front door opened again. Rei started, lying back down on the settee.

"Oh, I thought you'd all gone." Kai said simply, hovering by the doorway.

Rei sat up; hating the way the atmosphere had suddenly been distorted by awkwardness and tension. "They have. I stayed here. I thought _you'd_ gone."

"Didn't feel like it." Kai shrugged. He eyed Rei. "How come Kinomiya didn't whine at you to go? I thought he was attached to your hip now."

Rei sent him a glare, but refused to bite back. "I'm ill."

Kai chuckled and walked in, sitting down besides Rei upon the couch as if nothing had happened between them. "Ill? Or '_ill_'." He asked.

"What can I say? I wasn't in the mood." Rei replied, though his gaze didn't drift from the television set.

Silence fell upon them, weighing down upon their shoulders. Rei sighed heavily. Was this really going to continue? It was affecting the team, and now he had to spend the entire evening and the following morning with Kai. More so… it was painful. He desperately missed Kai. He was unhappy without him around. Despite everything… Rei still craved him.

He gathered his courage and spoke. "I'm glad I didn't go. It's embarrassing when they get drunk." There. He'd made the first step to resolving this stupid problem.

"Yeah." Kai said back.

They grew quiet once more. "Re- remember last year? When the BBA threw that annual party?"

Kai was silent for a moment, before a small smirk touched his lips. "How could I not? You gulped down that glass of vodka thinking it was water. Your expression after was hilarious."

"It wasn't for me. It _hurt_." Rei pouted.

Kai laughed. "I had to fend off several guys from threatening your chastity. And then I had to carry you to bed. You were mortified the next morning."

Rei laughed. "What about _you_? Whatever possessed you to be so noble?"

"Well you're my best friend. I wasn't just going" Kai paused, belatedly realising what he had said. "…to leave you." He trailed off.

Rei's heart gave a tug and the quiet that re-presented itself was awkward. "… I miss this." Rei admitted quietly after a while.

"Miss getting so drunk you can't stand?" Kai smiled.

"Heh." Rei chuckled. "No… I miss _us_. What _happened_ to us? How did what he had become so twisted and perverse?"

Kai sat in quiet contemplation, before he finally answered. "I don't know. Everything seems to have gone wrong when hormones decided to take over the team." Kai joked, before sighing almost sadly. "This isn't what I wanted though."

"What was?" Rei asked quietly.

"… I don't know." Kai whispered back.

Maybe it was because Rei was fearful of falling into another silence, or perhaps he was motivated by some higher, more complex will, but the next thing he knew he had captured Kai's lips in a soft, small kiss. Stranger still neither seemed to be surprised by the action and their eyes met and locked together. A silent and ethereal cord of understanding grew between them, tangling around Kai and drawing him back to press an equally tender kiss to Rei in return.

The next time, they met in the middle, kisses soft and unhurried. Rei's arms came to wind around Kai's neck, keeping him close, bringing him down to lie on the sofa with him. They moved slowly, and yet it seemed to blur within Rei's mind into a great mass of _feeling_. He was unhesitant when he found himself being drawn up from the settee. Neither was he fearful when he found himself, back pressed to the bed with Kai looming above him.

Thoughts flittered like excited dragonflies, fleeting and jumbled until, finally they fled and Rei was left trembling in the wake of basic and overpowering emotions. He was hot, despite his clothes long being discarded. He couldn't think. Couldn't breathe. And he wanted it. Without Kai's hands and mouth upon him, he felt like he'd die.

He needed it. He needed _this_. More than anything in his life, Rei knew somewhere within the depths of his muddled mind that this was the most important moment of his existence. And somehow, just before he fell into a seemingly endless pool of bliss, and before the raw passion overwhelmed him and rendered him senseless, he had an epiphany.

His name, whispered like a heartfelt promise. His heart pounding. Fingers curling around crisp white sheets… In those moments before he gave in completely, Rei's questions were answered and finally, he knew _why_.

* * *

And that's all she wrote. 

XD;

I seriously worry if people can't figure out that they're going at it like bunnies

Til next we meet. xxx


	7. Revelation

Oh how I wish this site had NC-17 capabilities.

Ah well, what can you do, eh?

This is where it comes together. Notice my snazzy… repeat… thing from chapter one? Yeah! Yeah, Don called it something like… erm… progressive... comparative… something… parallel. 8)

-Prenultimate chapter, yo!-

It's a bit… erm.. naughty xD;

* * *

'_I love you.'_

Gasps cut through the silence of the darkened bedroom. The house was silent but for the television set, long abandoned continuing in outputting its quiet murmur of noise. The only other noise filtered from behind that closed door.

'_I love you.'_

Twin breaths grew heavier, panting gradually becoming louder, punctuated by soft moans. Sighs and gasps were joined by the occasional groan and the shifting of material as bodies slowly moved around upon the bed, exploring new territory reverently. Worshipping.

'_I love you_.'

There was heat and friction, driving minds to the edge of a beautiful kind of insanity. They moved together, actions often simultaneous, bound by a deep understanding. They both needed, and it was pure and selfish. It was painful and passionate.

'_I love you_.'

A name upon his lips, whispered like a prayer. It was all too much. He felt like he was falling. Drowning in raging emotions, heady lust, and pleasure that ran through him like electricity. He clung on in desperation, trying to hold onto something tangible as his world span out of control. Blunt fingernails dug into the skin of a flexing back. He just couldn't take it any more. The air was choking him.

'_I love you.'_

And then hot white light flashed from behind closed lids, just before the wave crashed through him, violently surging from his scalp to his toes. It was all so perfect and so _basic_; he couldn't help but cry out in thanks. An answering grunt… and it was over. They had reached their crescendo together and so they lay. Together. Intertwined as they struggled to piece back together minds that had fallen apart so easily and unresistingly. It was over. And the piece of art they had just created had been _magnificent_.

'_I love you, Kai.'_

_

* * *

_  
When Rei awoke that morning, it was not the sound of a shower that greeted him, but the awareness that he was not alone. He blinked his tiredness away, moaning softly as he rubbed at his heavy eyes. The arm around him drew him closer, a soft sigh ghosting ac—

Wait! _The arm around him?_

Rei froze, taking a deep, shuddering breath as memories of the night before hit him. Very slowly, he shifted around until he was lying face to face with Kai. Warm breath blew softly against the skin of his face in the steady rhythm that Kai's chest rose and fell to. As if sensing that he was being watched, Kai's eyes fluttered, cracking open to reveal a sliver of deep red. His face scrunched up in a way Rei found just adorable, before his eyes blinked open fully to stare at Rei with dazed mahogany. They lay together in silence for a few seconds, staring at the other to comprehend the situation they had awoken to. The soft sound of rustles floated through the air as limbs shifted, subconsciously.

And then Kai smiled. "Hey." He whispered.

Rei found himself smiling back. "Hi."

Their stare did not waver. Instead they basked in one another's presence. They were a mere ten centimetres or so apart, and Rei could feel the heat radiating off Kai's larger, nude form. It made Rei feel more secure and peaceful than he ever had in his life.

He shifted a little, glancing down as their knees touched beneath the sheets. He looked back up to find Kai's stare still upon him. Finally, after more peaceful minutes had trickled by, Kai spoke "Tell me, Rei…" he said slowly.

"Hmmm?" Rei replied dreamily, eyes flickering from Kai's lips to his wine coloured eyes.

"No regrets?" Kai asked with a small smile.

Rei considered this for a second, before answering honestly. "No. No regrets." It was the truth. Rei would never take back that night. The pleasure and the passion and the intimacy- it had been the greatest event of his entire life. Kai had been his first kiss, and now… now he was Rei's _first_. That held a certain… poetic quality, more often found in romantic fantasies than real life. And then there was the fact that he had found the answer he had been desperately searching for. His precious, beautiful answer. _How_ could he regret that?

Kai seemed to be relieved, and Rei couldn't help but reach out and brush away some hair that had fallen into Kai's gem-like gaze. Smiling softly when Kai's lips twitched into a small curve, he let his hand move to cup Kai's cheek, marvelling at how warm and soft his skin was. Kai's own arm shifted until his fingertips were brushing gently across the skin of Rei's shoulder and upper arm. Though only small, those touches were something so wonderfully assuring and confirming that they would be remembered until the day they died. Rei wasn't even aware that he had been moving until he found that he had his face pressed to the base of Kai's throat. Kai shifted, twisting his arms around Rei's smaller frame to hold him close in a tender embrace.

To the outside world, they looked like lovers, simply basking in one another's presence and thankful that the other one was near. It was perfect.

_Too_ perfect, of course, Rei knew sadly. Their moment couldn't and wouldn't last forever. He sighed, nuzzling his face against Kai's neck and forced away the melancholy that nagged at the edges of his mind. He had the here and now, and he had… he had last night. Even if every thing were to go wrong, he still had last night.

After several long minutes, Kai spoke up. "I think they'll be back quite soon." He spoke softly, hands idly running up and down Rei's back.

Rei shivered at the feeling, and reluctantly pulled back. "Yeah." He pushed himself up onto his elbow, staring down at Kai.

Kai reached out without thought and twirled some of Rei's hair around his fingertips. "Tell me," He mused, eyes fixed upon the dark locks trapped within his grasp "Is this it?"

Rei frowned. "I don't follow you." He admitted softly.

The intent red gaze did not shift. " Was this just a one off?" He looked up at Rei's face. "Or is this going to keep happening? Because I like this, and I certainly liked last night, but… if you want to forget about all of this and dedicate all of your affections to Kinomiya, I'll understand and say nothing of this to anyone." He said and Rei could see rare sincerity glittering in Kai's mahogany gaze.

Rei thought about Kai's question, before posing one of his own. "Tell me, Kai. Do you… do you love me?" Kai said nothing, looking away, uncomfortable and a little guilty. Rei's heart dropped, but he still managed a smile. "It's okay, Kai. I know life isn't a fairytale. You… you don't just want sex from me do you?" He bit his lip.

Kai looked a little insulted at that and whipped his head around to face him. "Did it seem that way last night? I've told you, Rei. You're one of the only people on earth I _like_, I'm hardly going to treat you as a whore, and I certainly hope that that's not what you think I expect of you."

Rei sighed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said it."

The offence in Kai's eyes faded and he shrugged, sitting up. "I understand why you did."

Rei nodded, before he too sat up. He glanced at Kai, before he reached out to touch his cheek and drew his face around until he could press their lips firmly together.

Just when Kai sought to deepen their contact, Rei pulled back with a small smile. "I think I need to take a shower. I'm a bit…"

"Musky?" Kai offered with a faint smirk.

Rei gave him a look. "I was going to go with sticky." He stood up, suddenly aware of his nakedness when the sheets slipped away from him. He yelped in surprise and grabbed at the sheets to cover himself once he saw Kai's unashamed stare. He coloured when Kai gave him the kind of smirk that just screamed that he was stupid, and with a sigh and burning cheeks, he relinquished his grip on the sheets and made his way to the bathroom. He paused at the door when he saw that Kai was still reclining on the bed. "Well? Don't you need one too?" he offered with a small smile and shifting to the side in invitation. Kai's eyes widened and he practically leapt from the bed and marched towards the bathroom door. Rei couldn't help but blush once more at the sight of Kai being entirely bare, but he laughed shortly afterwards when Kai grabbed his wrist and dragged him in with him.

Perfect. Kai was everything that Rei had ever wanted. Strong and protective. Critical and yet caring. Complex but passionate. He was everything _right_ but for one thing.

Ironic really though, Rei thought. He had found his perfect match, his perfect relationship… but it would never _be _perfect, because in the end, when all was said and done- it was nothing and could never be anything more than an affair.

* * *

It was almost a hazy dream, how the days slipped by after that. Takao and the others had greatly enjoyed Hitoshi's housewarming party, though they had apparently missed Rei and Kai's (the latter was probably more a formality rather than sincerity) presence. Rei had told them honestly that he had ended up going to bed early and had woken up feeling much better. At any rate, everyone seemed much happier that Kai and Rei were back on good terms. Again, Rei had been entirely truthful when he had told them that he and Kai had talked about their differences and made up. 

As for Kai… well… days were spent thinking about him and stealing quick kisses and hasty gropes. They were 'training' together more and more often, spending all day together. Sometimes they would be training, such as the time they went to that same glade they had spoken in those short weeks ago. One moment, their blades had been weaving around natural debris, clashing occasionally. The next, Kai's arms had been around him and he was kissing him breathless. As Kai had pulled back, Rei was suddenly made aware of the fact that his trousers had been undone and were sliding past his thighs. Kai had smirked and dropped to his knees… it was safe to say that no more training had been done that day.

The nights were infinitely more passionate, as they were hidden behind a locked door. Every night was spent in Kai's bed as the two indulged in reaffirming their desire for one another. Some nights they simply slept next to one another in the most innocent of ways, comforted by the other's presence. Other nights they stared at one another, as hands searched known territory, exchanging touches. Many nights though, the heat in the room was stifling and they lay together, groaning softly, awareness of the close proximity of the other team members just next door and across the hallway doing nothing more than encouraging them.

They were of course, acting like normal teenage boys. And like most new couples who had just discovered the joys of sex together, they couldn't keep their hands off each other. Of course, as Rei had to keep reminding himself, he and Kai were _not_ a couple. They were just… best friends who happened to like sleeping together, at least… that was probably how Kai looked upon it.

As if picking up on this new, sexual air to Rei, Takao had also begun to become more persistent in his advances, openly inviting Rei to his bed on four occasions. He had also tried to be mature about the whole situation, drawing Rei to one side and casually asking him about his feelings on the thoughts of furthering their relationship into more sexual territories (he had obviously put a lot of thought into what he was going to say). Rei had flat out said that he was not ready, which was in fact the truth. If it wasn't with Kai, Rei was sure that he wasn't interested in sex with _anyone_. Takao seemed a bit put out by that, but Rei couldn't help it. He knew that Takao would understand and dismissed him with a peck on the cheek.

It was thirteen days after Kai and Rei had taken that final step in their affair, and Rei felt like a changed young man. He was concerned, partly, because he seemed to be disregarding Takao's feelings more and more often, but he had long ago admitted to himself that their relationship was empty. He half hoped that Takao would get bored of him and move on to someone else, however, the half of him was fearful that if he did, it didn't say much for his personal value. He cared about Takao. That would never change, but he just couldn't feel for him the way he was supposed to and even though it was hypocritical of him, he was frightened of hurting Takao. Truth be told, he was too much of a coward to tell him simply that they weren't working as a couple. Even worse, he would be finishing it with the one person on earth who loved him. It was driving him crazy, and he was still no closer to a solution…

Still though, confusion, guilt and worry were soon cast aside during those passionate nights with Kai. And, despite the fear Rei held in his heart, he also felt so… liberated. He had obviously never delved into the sexual side of his nature, and he found himself enjoying it. Knowing that if he cocked his hips in _just_ the right way, he could get Kai all over him like ivy in a second was somewhat… empowering.

There was of course, one final point. The one that made things so much more wonderful, but which would also make everything so much harder when things inevitably fell apart.

The front door clicked open, a flood of noise announcing the presence of Takao, Max, Kyoujyu and Hiromi. Immediately, Kai launched himself off from where he was lying on the sofa with Rei, breaking their kiss and reclaiming his hand from under Rei's shirt. Rei sat up too, and straightened his clothes. By the time the rest of the team walked in, Kai and Rei were reclining on the settee, deep in conversation.

"Hey guys." Rei said with a warm smile.

Takao grinned and went to bounce over to him when Hiromi spoke up. "Rei, may I talk to you outside?"

Takao paused and Rei blinked. "Ehhh… okay, Hiromi?" Rei answered, standing up from the settee.

"What's this about, Hiromi?" Takao questioned, looking annoyed.

"Just an idea I had. Don't get so touchy." Hiromi waved him off and headed outside. Rei followed obediently, until Hiromi stopped, a little into the wooded area next to the dojo. "We won't be interrupted here." She said finally after looking around.

Rei began to fidget. "I-interrupted?" He enquired.

Hiromi gave him a steady stare. "I know I'm no beyblader, but I feel like I'm a part of this team. Do you value my opinion?"

Rei blinked in surprised. "Of course." He replied sincerely.

"Then tell me. How long have you been sleeping with Kai?" She asked seriously.

Rei choked on his breath. "_What_?" he spluttered.

"Unlike you lot, my head isn't filled with Beyblading, Rei. Maybe it's because I'm female, but I _notice_ things. And I notice how you and Kai are flirting every opportunity you get. You used to flirt together before, but now… you can barely stop staring at him, Rei. If Takao and Max weren't so naïve, they'd pick up on it easily. So tell me, how long? Because if you're not sleeping with him, you're _certainly_ not far from it." She concluded.

Rei paled. "We're… we're…" He sighed. "We thought we were being careful." Guilty yellow eyes looked up at Hiromi. "About two weeks. It's been about two weeks since we started…" He trailed off.

"Having sex?" Hiromi supplied. She received a shy nod and she sighed heavily. "God, Rei. I'm of half a mind to slap you and ask you what the hell you think you're playing at, but I _know_ you and this isn't it. You're so… kind, Rei and you're always putting others first. What on _earth_ has possessed you to lead Takao on like that? You do realise that he'll be utterly _devastated_ not only by the fact that you're cheating on him, but that it's with his greatest _rival_? And besides, I really didn't think you were the type to go around… _sleeping_ with people."

Rei frowned, feeling a little hurt. "I'm _not_ the type! I'd never even _kissed_ anyone before Kai! He was… he was my first and _yes_ I _do_ realise how much it's going to hurt Takao, but… I just can't _stop_!"

"_You can't stop_? Rei, what are you? Addicted to sex? Do you realise how shallow that is? You're willing to destroy Takao all because you like shagging Kai? And just how long has this been going on for if he was your first _kiss_ too?" Hiromi scoffed.

Rei felt as if he had been slapped and he looked away, feeling tears prickle at the corners of his vision. "It's wrong of me." He said quietly. "And it's killing me that I'm doing something so terrible, but I… but I…" His voice dropped to a strained whisper. "I love him."

"_What_? You love Takao? You have a funny way of showing it!" Hiromi snapped.

And then, in that same, raw whisper, Rei spoke aloud for the first time the stunning revelation he had had all those nights ago when he had been taken to Kai's bed for the first time; "I love Kai."

Hiromi gasped, and stepped nearer. "You love… Kai?"

Rei nodded and, as if admitting the truth had broken down a barrier, tears slowly trailed down his face as the emotional turmoil of the guilt, confusion, ecstasy, fear, and doubt that had accumulated over the past month came pouring out. He hadn't realised that he was on the verge of a breakdown, but now, with someone to listen, it was almost as if he could release the pent up stress that had been building up inside of him like an ominous storm. "I… I love him, Hiromi. So much it's killing me. I'd always thought that he was just my friend, and that it was just a crush, but I was kidding myself. I'm _crazy_ about him. When he's not near me it feels like there's a black cloud floating over me. I _need_ him. I need him all of the time. Hiromi! The feeling of him _inside_ of me, it's… it's so _overwhelming_. It's like I've been waiting my entire _life_ for it, and I know it's wrong and I know it's terrible of me, but I can't stop wanting him." He cried out, desperately wiping away tears that wouldn't seem to stop.

Hiromi seemed convinced, because she stepped forwards and pulled him into a hug. "If you love him so much, then why aren't you with him? Rei, this situation is crazy." She soothed, rubbing his back.

Rei pulled her closer and buried his face in her shoulder, teardrops falling onto her and soaking through to her skin. "Because he doesn't love me." He said very softly. "He can't and he won't. He doesn't want a relationship. He told me that. He _likes _me, and he's attracted to me, but he won't love me." He took a deep breath and clung onto her like a lifeline. "I need to be loved, Hiromi. I've gone my whole life with no one loving me and now that I have it, I can't exist without it. How can I make the right choice? I _do_ love Takao, but he's like my little brother… and he loves me, but I can't feel any passion for him. I love Kai with all of my heart, but he won't love me back. I just don't know what to do!" He sobbed.

Hiromi held him tightly. "Shhh, Rei. I know it's hard, but you're going to have to make a choice. And you _are_ loved. _I_ love you. And Max loves you. _We_ love you because you're our precious friend. We'll get you through all of this. And who's to say that Kai won't learn to love you?"

"Kai does. Hiromi, he said that he doesn't want a relationship, he said that he can't give me what I want." He sniffled pathetically.

Hiromi kissed his temple. "Rei, sweetheart, does Kai know you're in love with him?"

Rei shook his head. "No, but it wouldn't make any difference. I _know_ him and I know that if I tell him, it'll just push him away… what am I going to do, Hiromi? I _need_ to be loved, but I can't be with Takao, and I can't have Kai… I've been thinking lately too… what if Kai's just subconsciously using me as another way to compete with Takao? I'm just so confused!"

Hiromi sighed. "I know, I know," She stroked his hair gently "but _Rei_, you _have_ to end it with Takao. You_ can't_ be with him when you're in love with Kai and I can see that you've been pushing him away. It will _destroy_ him if he finds out that you've been sleeping with Kai, but you need to end it with him to stop him being hurt in the long run."

Rei drew back, wiping his eyes as his tears began to subside. "You're right. I'll tell him tomorrow when no one's around" He said simply. "And…" He flushed. "I'm sorry about… that."

Hiromi laughed softly. "Any time, Rei. Besides. I think you really needed that."

Rei gave her a small, bashful smile.

* * *

That night, Rei slept in Kai's arms once more, though Kai sensed that he was not in the mood for sex and so, did make any of the usual moves. As it turned out, Max and Kyoujyu both returned home the next day for the weekend. 

Rei was in the kitchen, doing his and Kai's laundry when he heard the front door shut. Seconds later, there were arms around his waist and a mouth on his neck.

"Bit risky isn't it?" Rei chuckled, though he pulled the hands away.

Kai grunted and re-attached himself. "Kinomiya's gone to train some kids at the local BBA centre."

Rei frowned, but leaned back without thinking. "He didn't say anything to me."

Kai made another impatient grunting sound, hands untying the sash at Rei's waist. "I just passed him as he was walking out of the door… he'll be gone for _hours_." Kai whispered, releasing Rei's neck.

Rei shivered at Kai's husky words. "Well then…" the words he had spoken to Hiromi the day before came to him again; '_I'll tell him tomorrow when no one's around._' When Rei thought about it, this could maybe be his last time with Kai, depending on how he reacted to him telling Takao that they were over. "Let's make the most of it." Rei said finally, grabbing Kai's hand, and pulling him towards their bedroom with a coy smile.

As usual, between their mouths meeting and hands searching, clothes fell away leaving them uncovered. Skin pressed and slid together as they lay upon the bed, Kai hovering over him, kissing mouth and licking tongue upon his flushed skin. Rei was reduced to a groaning, writhing mess by the time Kai's mouth was worshipping his chest. He spread his legs wider as Kai left tickling touches upon his inner thigh. Fingertips trailed slowly higher, making Rei gasp out.

And then there was a click, and Kai paused. Rei's eyes, so deep they were almost amber flickered open, looking to Kai to see why he'd stopped. He frowned in confusion when he saw that Kai's head was twisted, staring at something behind him.

"Kai?" Rei questioned softly, angling his head to peer around Kai's larger form.

The resulting gasp cut through the dead silence of the room, so much so that it almost seemed to create a booming echo off the walls.

And Takao, eyes wide and mouth slack stood, frozen in horror and shock in the open doorway.

* * *

Oh dear.

…poor Taka?

I'm sorry xD! The next chapter will be the last. How sad, just before Rei was going to tell him too. Lesson learned: Don't trust that people won't return home early… ever.

And this is cliché purposefully. Let's put it this way- Kai's not very subtle or good at dealing with people.


	8. Completion

Yes, if it helps I feel bad for Takao. And yes, I know having him walk in was cliché, but _I'm_ not the one who's arranged it. Well… who do you _think_ arranged it that way, and when you think on that, do you _really_ think he'd be imaginative enough to think of something that was less subtle than a sledgehammer? XD

This is the last chapter anyway. I never intended it to be long. The whole point was, this concentrated on the confusion and the turmoil and the whirlwind of emotion between the three. It was never going to be an epic because, who am I to bore you with endless near misses and thwarting?

I hope that no one is disappointed. This is the ending I had planned from the start.

I hope you've enjoyed this. I've certainly enjoyed writing something different to usual. So here it is. The conclusion. Dialogue heavy.

* * *

Breathing. 

_In. Out. In. Out._

Breathing was all that could be heard in the dead silence.

_In. Out. In. Out._

Time stood frozen.

_In. Out. In. Out._

Three pairs of eyes, red, yellow and brown; two pairs wide in shock, the other pair unreadable.

_In. Out. In. Out._

"What…?" Words seemed to slip quietly from Takao's mouth, though it was obvious that his brain had yet to comprehend the situation.

And then the trance broke. "No. No, no, no, no, no!" Takao's head swayed side-to-side moving faster as disbelief set in. "This can't… Oh God!" Movement suddenly set in, tearing apart the frozen moment. Takao whirled to hurtle back out of the doorway, hand clamped over his mouth even as Rei threw himself out of bed, diving to reclaim his discarded clothing.

"Takao!" he shouted helplessly as he tugged on his fallen clothing. "Takao!" Shirt pulled on, Rei sprinted from the room, vaguely aware of the fact that Kai was trailing behind him. He followed after Takao's retreating form, mind reeling, thoughts desperate.

It was when Takao reached the beach, he finally stopped, stumbling and falling to his hands and knees in the sand. For a moment, as Rei reached his side, Takao looked about ready to vomit. Instead, he simply panted, eyes staring unseeingly at the sand. Rei reached out, touching Takao's arm to help him stand.

It was slapped away. "**Don't**, touch me." Takao hissed, turning hurt and furious eyes on him. Rei couldn't help but take a step backwards under the intensity of that glare.

He'd done it now. He'd _really_ done it. This was as bad as it could possibly get. He'd taken Takao's heart and utterly crushed it. Good God! How would _he_ have felt if he'd found Kai in bed with someone else? The thought alone made his heart constrict painfully. It just didn't bear thinking about.

"Takao…" Rei whispered.

"Save it." Takao interrupted, shifting until he sat upon the sand.

The silence and the guilt choked Rei as he and Kai stood, watching Takao as he stared out across the ocean. The sound of rolling waves only emphasised the silence and Rei stood, eyes fixed upon Takao's form not daring to look away as he chewed on his lip, ignoring the sting of pain he felt when he finally pierced that delicate flesh and drew blood.

The waves rolled on.

Rei fidgeted, wishing that Kai were closer. He needed him. He wasn't sure how much longer he could stand on his own. Kai, like the other two however, remained frozen in place, the three feet between him and Rei feeling like endless miles to the latter. He knew he couldn't move though. It wasn't the time or the place to move to Kai's side and wrap himself around him, seeking comfort. Much as he wanted fold himself within the safe circle of Kai's arms, he'd done enough to cause Takao hurt. One more act of thoughtlessness could not be tolerated.

He had to stand-alone for this one. He had to face the consequences of his actions on his own.

"How long?" Rei jumped at the sound of Takao's voice and turned wide, nervous eyes upon him. Takao was still staring out over the waves.

"S-sorry, what did you say?" Rei's voice sounded alien to him. He didn't recall it being that weak and tired. It made him wince.

Takao turned dull brown eyes on him, a small smile devoid of humour stretched across his lips. "How. Long. Have. You. Been. Fucking. Kai. Behind. My. Back?" Takao repeated slowly as if he were talking to a child. When he received no answer, he got angrier. "It's a simple question, Rei! How long have you and Kai been _fucking around_?"

"Two… two weeks." Rei replied softly, gaze fixed on the sand by Takao's feet. He couldn't bare it. He couldn't bear seeing the hurt in those big brown eyes.

Takao laughed incredulously. "Two weeks. _Two weeks_? Kai of all people has been fucking my own boyfriend and I don't even notice. Tch. Maybe I really am as stupid as people tell me." He finished bitterly.

"No!" Rei bust out, dropping to his knees besides Takao. "No! Don't you say that about yourself! You're _not_ stupid!" He reached out unthinkingly to put his hand upon Takao's arm.

He was shoved roughly away as if his arm had been flame. Takao turned to him, furious. "Let me guess! '_It's not you it's me'_, right? Is that what you're going to say? I know that already, _Rei_." He spat his name as if it were poison. "Because as far as I can tell, I was a pretty _damn_ good boyfriend. I fucking _waited_ for you! All of that time when you weren't _ready_, and you were more than ready to roll onto your back and spread your legs for _Kai_ like some kind of whore." Rei winced at that, and Takao paused, as if just considering something else. "Speaking of whores, just _how_ many people have you been happy to fuck since _I_ am so _obviously_ _far_ to repulsive to even consider sleeping with? Max maybe? How about Kyoujyu, hmmm?"

The question hung in the air like a storm cloud. Rei answered very quietly. "It… it was only ever Kai."

"What? _Ever?_" Takao snorted.

Rei nodded, still staring at that one point in the sand. "Yes."

Takao clapped sarcastically. "Well, well done you. As far as cheating goes, you're pretty loyal." Rei said nothing. "So tell me, because I'm just _dying _to know. Did you two just leap into bed with each other one day? Or, had there been sexual tension just bubbling under the surface for days? Or were you two using me for kicks? What?" He said almost conversationally.

Rei swallowed, but this time, it was Kai that spoke. "I seduced him." He said, not a hint of emotion playing in his voice. "And it started about a month ago. I kissed him, and he hit me. I tried it on a few more times and then about two weeks ago, I got him into bed."

"Well done to you too, Kai. You did the impossible it seems. Got any tips for me?" Takao replied.

Rei felt tears sting at the corners of his eyes, deeply hurt at the conversational way they were discussing him. Still though, Kai was taking more of the blame than necessary, so who was he to argue? He _had_ brought this all on himself. This was all his fault. He deserved everything he got.

Takao sighed, the sound sad and destroying the false civility. "You don't think that I do, but I know you, Rei. I wasn't lying when I told you that I loved you. I'd been watching you carefully for months and I'd like to think I know you. You're not like this. You don't just jump into bed with people, and you're not the kind of person who lets himself get seduced. So tell me; what happened? Because the last thing I'd ever have expected is _this_."

"I don't know." Rei whispered truthfully. "I just don't know. I… I tried Takao. I really did. I _do_ love you, it's just… it's just…" Rei had always hated crying but in the face of such emotional stress, he couldn't prevent the tears that began to trickle down his face. "I don't love you the way you want me to."

"Then why say yes?" Takao asked. Rei could detect the desperation in his voice.

"Because… because…" Rei sighed. "I was so lonely. Kai wasn't being my best friend any more, and the villagers back home didn't care about me unless I came home with tournament titles. I was just so lonely. I'd never had anyone tell me that they loved me before and when you said it, it was like I'd found the missing part of my life. I've always wanted someone to love me, and then there you were. I wanted to make it work, Takao, I really did. I wanted to stop looking at you like a little brother and see you as a lover, but… but… I can't. I've tried so hard, but I care about you so much. I was so frightened of hurting you. I thought if I just gave it time, something would change, but…" Rei took a shuddering breath.

"And Kai?" Takao pushed.

"Everything changed when Kai kissed me." Rei breathed. "I've… I've liked Kai for a long time now, so when he kissed me for the first time, I just forgot myself. I got lost in kissing him. It was like I'd found another part of me."

"So why not break up with me _then_? Why let everything get so messed up?" Takao snapped.

"Because… because," Rei took another breath to hold back sobs that were threatening to break free. "Kai doesn't want a relationship and… he can't love me. And I understand, I don't want to force him, but I _need_ it Takao. I need to be loved. If no one loves me then doesn't that make me _worthless_? God, I'm so confused. I wanted Kai so badly. That's why I've been hurting you, even though I never wanted to. Believe me none of this was my intention, but I just… I just can't stop… I need Kai."

"So you've been using me?" Takao said sadly.

"I… I didn't mean to." Rei whispered, wiping at his eyes.

"You didn't mean to? Oh! Well that makes it all okay then!" Takao said with mock understanding. When Rei said nothing once again, the younger calmed a little. "Still though, somehow, I can believe that. Though I'm tempted to right now, I don't think you have it in you to be heartless. Speaking of, you keep going on about how much you _need_ Kai. Is he _that_ good in bed?"

"It's not about the sex." Rei responded quietly. Painfully aware that Kai was standing right behind him, Rei told Takao the truth. "I'm in love with him. That's why I need him so badly." Rei laughed, though it sounded more frightened than anything else. "I'm completely addicted to him, so much so that I hurt people. I hate that I've become this way, you must understand. So disgustingly self-centred… I was… I was going to finish with you today, Takao… if that means anything to you. It was never my intention to lead you along."

"Looks like you did finish with me today. I only wish you could have found a less painful way of telling me." Takao sighed.

"That… that wasn't… Kai said you were training kids down at the centre. I thought you'd be gone for hours… I thought it'd be our last time together." Rei added softly.

Takao glared at Kai then. "Well, _I_ told Kai that I was just going to post a letter, _didn't I, Kai?_"

Rei gasped and whirled around. "Kai?"

Kai stared at the two with an unreadable expression and shrugged. "How was I supposed to know you planned to break up with him? It was the only way I could think of telling him you two weren't meant to be."

"Trust you to completely steam roll over feelings, Kai. Do you have any idea how lucky you are?" Takao stood, making his way over to Kai. "You have Rei, the boy _I_ love completely dedicated to you like a little puppy, and you can say nothing. You had this all planned from the start didn't you? Use Rei to get at me. I knew you were heartless, Kai, but I _never_ thought you'd stoop so low."

Kai stared at him with a bored expression. "Don't flatter yourself so much, Kinomiya."

Takao tensed, and looked ready to hit him, when he chuckled without the slightest hint of humour and stepped back, turning to Rei. "Now I see why you can't love me. You're a masochist; you must be to want him. I mean, why settle for someone who wants to treat you right and love you when you can have a guy like Kai?" Rei stayed quiet, looking away in shame.

The three fell silent, but after a while, Rei began to feel the same illness he had felt earlier. "I'm… I'm so sorry." He whispered, breaking the quiet. "I don't know what I've been doing. I still don't. Being with you and being with Kai makes me feel good about myself in different ways. I've been using you both and I'm disgusted with myself." He released a soft sigh that shuddered with pent up sobs. "I've probably broken the team apart too, so I've ended up hurting Max, Kyoujyu and Hiromi too. I never knew I was so selfish." Blinking back fresh tears, Rei asked the question that needed to be asked. "Where do we go from here?"

Takao pulled off his cap and stared into it, as if searching for answers. Finally, he seemed to come to a decision. "I think, Rei, it's time you made your choice."

"Choice?" Rei questioned.

Takao nodded. "The team will never be the same again, but… it all comes down to you. Me… or Kai?"

Rei blinked in disbelief. "You mean… after all of this… you'd- you'd take me back?" His voice dropped to a whisper at the last.

Shrugging Takao regarded him with soft brown eyes. "People have called me stupid many times, and they're probably right but…" He smiled wanly. "I'm so angry with you part of me wants to hit you and never see you again. You've hurt me badly, but you're a nice person and so am I and I'm willing to try and put this behind us. You're a complete idiot for thinking that this would all work out fine, but you're genuinely sorry. Even someone like me can see that. I don't know how long it will take for me to trust you again and for things to be okay between us, but I can't just stop loving you, because even before all of this, you were still my friend and I wanted to take care of you, like I did Max, and Zo and everyone else. I'll carry on loving you, Rei. If that is what you want." He finished.

In that instant, it struck Rei just what an amazing person his former boyfriend was. He'd underestimated him. Badly. And Rei knew what it was he had to do. The _right_ choice. "Takao, I don't… I don't deserve you." He said with a small smile.

Takao gave him an almost-smile in return. "I know."

Rei shook his head slowly. "No. I mean it. I really don't." Takao went speechless in surprise and Rei stood, staring out across the ocean with a far away smile upon his lips. "There's a whole world of people out there who'd be lucky to have you by their side. I know what I need from you now, Takao. I need to see my little brother go out there and find his perfect match. I need for you to find that one person who truly deserves you, because you are one of a kind, Taka." He looked at Takao with a warm gaze. "You are sincere and you are big hearted and out there is your someone. Find them for me."

Takao rose to his feet, a defeated, bitter smile upon his own lips. "You choose Kai, huh? The first time I lose to him and it's the time that really matters."

Rei turned to look at Kai, finding that he was staring at him expectantly. Rei smiled again. "No. I don't choose Kai." Kai looked surprised, and dropped his eyes to stare at the sand. "I choose no one." Rei said finally. "I'm never going to be able to find what I need in either of you. I love you both so dearly; please know that I am so sorry from the bottom of my heart. All of the lies and the awkwardness and the sneaking around… I'm just not worth it." Rei's smile was sad, but sincere.

Takao was the first to move, replacing his cap and walking slowly towards the steps leading back to the dojo. He paused as he stood alongside Rei. "I forgive you, Rei. I know. It's crazy isn't it? You've… well, you've broken my heart but… I think yours has been broken too and I take no pleasure in it. You're in pain, like me. So I forgive you. We're not okay, yet, but we will be someday. Besides, I've never really been one for grudges. I'd appreciate it though if you moved rooms for a little bit. I'm easy-going, but that doesn't mean I'm happy with you and Kai sharing a room."

"You're… you're letting me stay?" Rei gasped out, spinning to face Takao.

Takao looked back at him out of the corner of his eye. "Of course I am. I'm not saying that things will be easy, but where else do you have to go? Besides, in asking you out, there was always a chance our break up would affect the team, so I suppose it's partially my own fault and I will not be held even partially responsible for the team breaking up."

Rei's astonishment faded and he felt no small amount of pride in Takao. "You've grown." He said, admiration apparent in his whisper.

"… I know." Takao replied, he moved until he stood besides Kai. "I don't know what your reasoning was and to be honest, I don't want to. I can't help but think that you are at the heart of this whole disaster, but I'm just not bothered any more. You are my team captain. That is all. Any respect or feelings of friendship I had for you are gone. I don't know if you enjoyed seducing my boyfriend, but I want you to know that I wouldn't even spit on you if you were on fire. I will follow your orders but I no longer respect or support you. As far as I'm concerned, the person who used to be my greatest rival and dear friend is dead to me." Takao said quietly, so that Rei would not hear.

Kai stared at him levelly. "Would it make you feel better if you hit me?" He asked calmly.

Takao turned away from him and began walking off. "No. No it wouldn't, besides… I don't want to dirty my fist."

Rei watched him go, indifferent to the exchange. It was beyond his control now. He looked back to Kai and their gazes met, locking for a long moment before Kai too, turned his back to him and walked away.

When both were out of sight, Rei turned back to face the sea and sank back to the ground alone.

_Alone_.

Rei smiled sadly, yellow eyes gazing out across the waves. "Looks like I'm on my own again." He whispered though there was no one around to hear. He bought his knees up to his chest and rested his crossed arms across his kneecaps. "But I deserve it. This is the way I'm supposed to be."

It was true. In his first memories, he had been alone, when he had left his village to broaden his horizons he had been alone, surrounded by people he still felt alone.

It was the way he was always intended to be. He wasn't good enough to be around people. He'd only end up hurting them or disappointing them.

He was happy this way. No one could hurt him and he couldn't hurt any one in return.

He was happy.

"Idiot." He whispered, as a stray tear broke free.

He was happy. He had to be happy. If he wasn't happy…

"What do I have left?" Images flashed before him. Smiling friends, a silver beyblade, a white hair bind, a proud tiger, soft moans, the roar of a crowd, a battle on ice, happiness, fear, anger, tears, sensations, emotions… memory. His life, and yet what did he have left? He wasn't strong enough to keep Byakko by his side. So what did he have? What had he ever kept that he hadn't thrown away? And the worst part was, "There's no one else to blame." Rei said softly.

And the tears kept coming. He deserved this. He was selfish and needy.

He was also very much alone. No matter what Takao had said, he couldn't go back to the team, not with them knowing of his infidelity. They'd probably pretend that everything was all right with fake, painful smiles, when in reality they'd be disgusted with him. It would be the Bai Fu Zu all over again. Edgy and tight smiles, hesitant to touch him and secretive looks as they counted the moments until he inevitably betrayed them once more. He couldn't bear it again. It didn't matter that he had nowhere to go. He'd done it before and he'd do it again. He was better off alone after all.

'_I don't want to be alone.'_ The thought sprung to him unbidden and unwanted- a tiny protest from the deepest depths of his mind. He really _was_ a fake. He'd always given the impression that he was so tough and independent and that he was always so mature and calm and adult. The reality of it all was so much sadder because in the end he was only ever a selfish little child who had no control over his life.

And he was so, so lonely.

Like the child that he believed was, when Rei could hold it back no longer, he buried his face in his arms and sobbed quietly. The loneliness within him left a bitter, metallic taste in his mouth and made his head pound nauseatingly.

He was unsure of how much time had passed, but when the soft scuff of a footstep sounded behind him he was surprised to find that the sky had tinged pink. The sun bled crimson; sinking towards the horizon and causing the waves to glitter as if a million gemstones were trapped beneath the surface.

When Rei turned to greet his unexpected visitor he found eyes, so much like that sun fixed upon him. The voice that came from familiar lips was so much softer than he had anticipated. "Are you all right?"

Rei smiled, though his eyes were hauntingly sad. "I am as well as I can be." He looked away to stare back at the setting sun. "I was just thinking about where I can go now…" He looked back to Kai "Heh. I've been thinking about maybe heading towards Yokohama and getting myself a little waiter's job there. With my beyblade winnings, I should be able to pay the first couple of month's rent on a small place. I'm not sure if I want to be beyblading at the moment. It might draw too many unwanted questions."

Kai regarded him for a while, before he too turned to look out across the burning ocean. "You could always stay with me at my family's Tokyo estate." He offered quietly.

"You're leaving the team?" Rei asked, guilt obvious.

Kai shook his head. "Maybe… or just taking a long break. Besides…" Kai sighed. "I can hardly go back to living at Kinomiya's after what happened. It'll be nice to go home I suppose. I'll have to put up with my mother, but it'll be all right, and I'll still be nearby If any one needs me."

"I…" Rei's eyes lingered on the waves as he thought. "Thank you, Kai, but… but I don't think it's a good idea. I mean… could we ever go back to being friends?" He asked, though he managed to keep the hope from his voice.

Kai stayed silent, mulling the question over. "No." He said finally, decisively.

Rei nodded, sadly accepting that it was the truth. They lapsed into silence once more, the sky turning from the odd tinge of pink to clouds that seemed to be on fire. "Red sky at night…" Rei muttered quietly, leaving the rest unsaid.

"Do you think… perhaps we were doomed from the start?" Kai asked suddenly.

Rei turned to him, only to find that his eyes were still frozen upon the setting sun. "What do you mean?"

"Were you aware that you have pretty serious abandonment issues?" Kai asked him, though he did not turn to him. Rei stayed silent, and he took it as permission to carry on. "When my father left, you know it made me… how I was. Very introverted and critical of myself, at times I even felt worthless. I spoke to someone last year, though I didn't tell any one about it, even you. He said that because of my father leaving, it had made me… like that. I put little value on friendship because my father had been my best friend and he had- at least I _believed _he had- cast me aside without thought. It didn't take me long to realise that that you had similar, but subtly more extreme symptoms than me. That's why I always pushed people away, and that's why you do it too. You're terrified that if someone gets close, they'll only abandon you. It stems from your parents. Cases like ours usually do. You've never had anyone stay by your side before and I think that is why we were doomed."

Rei let out a sad laugh. "So what you're saying is, I'm hopeless. I knew that all ready, Kai, but it helps that you understand me. So thank you for trying and good job psychoanalysing me."

"I'm not saying that you're hopeless." Kai answered softly. "I said that we can't be friends again, but in truth, I don't think we ever were."

"You don't?" Rei turned to look at him, eyes hurt. When Kai again refused to look at him, his eyes dropped to the sand. "Oh."

"I think… I think it was deeper than that. I mean… we slept together, but neither of us are the types to just go and throw caution into the wind because of a stupid attraction. I never thought my first time would mean much to me, but it did, and I know it did for you." Finally, in a sudden movement, Kai dropped it sit besides Rei on the sand though he still did not look at him. "I've been thinking all day and I can't just leave it at this." He turned to Rei giving him an annoyed semi-glare. "You tell anyone what I'm about to tell you, and I will kill you." When Rei nodded hurriedly with wide eyes, Kai seemed satisfied, and turned away again. "About… three months ago something I'd been… ignoring became clear to me and…" Kai glared hotly at nothing in particular. "And it scared me. A lot. I'd never thought I could feel something like that, so when I realised… I tried to deny it, and force this thing out of the way, but I couldn't. So… I did the cowardly thing and withdrew from everyone. I could see how much that hurt you, but… typical me I thought it better in the long run. Turns out that it meant I only made a greater mess later on."

"What are you trying to say?" Rei whispered.

Kai looked at him then, out of the corner of his eye and then looked to the floor again. "I'm saying that I love you."

"_What?_" Rei gasped. "Kai, I swear if you're saying that out of pity-"

Kai smiled softly. "I'm not, I'm not. Rei, I liked you for _ages,_ and I was okay with that. So when I realised that… that I felt considerably more strongly about you than I anticipated it threw me off. So I avoided you, but when Kinomiya asked you out and you said yes I… I… well I sort of got…"

"Jealous?" Rei supplied.

Kai's eyes flickered quickly to Rei and he looked about ready to argue when suddenly, despite himself he smirked. "Fine, fine. I was jealous… _really_ jealous." The smirk faded and he sighed. "I'm not very good with my feelings. You know that, Rei. Much as I hate myself for being so weak, I'm terrified of having my heart broken. I was trying to be pragmatic; I figured that we'd never work because we'd always be worried that the other was going to abandon us any time. Turns out that in trying to avoid that I made a giant mess of things. I just didn't know what else to do, so I just… I wanted you to myself and hoped that maybe being with you would get you out of my system- as it were."

"Did it work?" Rei asked nervously.

Kai's eyes moved to stare into Rei's. And then he smiled. "No."

Rei smiled too. "Do you think that maybe we could work out?"

Kai reached out then to take Rei's hand in his own. "The odds are stacked against us." He said slowly and Rei felt his heart drop. "But since when have I given a shit about odds?" Kai's resulting grin made Rei's spirit as well as the corners of his lips lift. "I think as long as we trust one another not to run off and leave us as soon as things get a little tough, we'll be okay. Because let me tell you one thing, my Rei-ki, I don't want or intend to lose you, not now, not ever. Do you trust me?"

"With my life." Rei answered honestly.

Kai nodded. "Then let me pose the question to you again; do you want to come and stay with me? Because I want to take care of you and I want you near me, so will you let me be selfish?"

Rei grinned, eyes teary. "It would be an honour." He replied with a voice full of unreleased sobs, throwing himself against Kai's chest and wrapping his arms about him, clinging on as if Kai were a lifeline.

Kai returned the hug, staring up at the sky where stars were just beginning to twinkle. "I think we can learn to be normal people together." He said with a small smile as he subconsciously ran his fingers through Rei's hair. "We have love, and that's always a good starting point. Perhaps if we work together, we can stop being so hopeless and actually find a way to be happy."

"I never thought you to be an optimist." Rei commented from where he was snuggled into Kai's chest.

Kai chuckled. "Me neither. Scary?"

"No… I kind of like it." Rei smiled.

It was dark by the time their tender embrace ended, as a single tiny tremor ran through Rei. Kai noted distantly that the temperature had dropped and stood slowly, bringing Rei with him. "You're cold." He stated.

"Am not." Rei argued back.

Kai laughed, an open and delightful sound as he moved to Rei's side and slipped an arm about his waist, steering him as he began walking back towards the main road. "Come on, my big, brave one. Time to go. We need to get some sleep; it's been a big day after all. We've got the rest of our lives to sort all of this mess out. For now, let's just go home."

Rei smiled, leaning into Kai's side and placing his own arm around the elder and resting his hand at his hip. "Home… I like the sound of that."

Kai smiled and said nothing and the two walked on, content for the first time in their entire lives. They didn't know what tomorrow held, and if they were honest, they didn't care. Their choices had been made and it seemed to them at that moment in time, they were fairly sure that they could live with that.

**xx- The end -xx  
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**Aft notes and ramblings:**

Let me say one thing: I think Kai's an idiot and I love to exploit that. Such a mess created because Kai's a pansy about feelings.

On Takao: You know what? I actually think he's completely straight. Personally, the love I believe that he would hold for Rei would be deep-seated admiration. As the second oldest one on the team, Rei is someone Takao could use as a role- model, considering that he is many things Takao is not, such as analytical, self-sufficient and patient. It's easy to confuse such things as a hormone fuelled teenager.

I was close to having Takao go ballistic, but then I thought; no. I don't want to cheapen him.

I know that he's excitable, but considering in the manga when the team split up for the G-Rev arc, Takao was really nice about it that took me on a whole new route.

I'm not saying that Takao is okay with this, nor am I saying that he'll happily go back to being best friends with Rei. As it is, his forgiveness is the first step on a long path to rebuilding that friendship.

Long and short of it is, I didn't want to make Takao a raging idiot—even though he has the right to. I just wanted him to try and stay strong in front of Rei and Kai. I mean, he probably went home and cried while attacking pillows in rage, but that is for you all to decide.

I was in no hurry to shove Takao on to someone else either. I doubt he wants someone else right now, and if it _were_ someone else, I'd have to say that in my heart, it'd be Hiromi and that would be weeks down the line.

Rei's a complete idiot. As is Kai. As is Takao, but then being in love makes a person foolish. Sprinkle in the necessary teenage melodrama and you've got yourself one big disaster.

Still though, it's sort of calmed down a little. Who knows what the future holds? Either way, I hope they stay happy.

I had a lot of fun writing this. Very different from my usual, which was nice.

**Thank you:**

Mourir- For talking about this idea with me and getting it in my head. For always reading what I wrote and offering an opinion on it. May 5th is a special day. I love you sehr much. Xx

Yazzy- Where would this be without you, my wifey? Probably still on chapter three, littered with even more mistakes than it has now. Thank you so much for all of the help. xx

Nêdunque- For leaving such utterly delightful reviews. I looked forwards to your reviews, since they're always so thought provoking.

Tiqui and Sa-saa: For not punching me in the mouth for writing some TakaRei, thank youuuu xxx

Maliciously Creative: For being you. For being so bloody nice to me all of the time. Sexy Biscuit is lucky to have a nee-san like you ;–; xx

To everyone else who even glanced at this; thank you for sparing the time.

'Til next time. xx


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